Islamabad - At least 26 soldiers were killed on Friday when an army helicopter crashed in the country's lawless tribal region, security officials said. "The MI 17 helicopter crashed owing to a technical fault this afternoon, approximately 20 kilometres from Peshawar at the border of Orakzai and Khyber tribal districts," said a senior military official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"Twenty-six security personnel died in the incident," he added.
Sama television cited a Taliban spokesman saying that they had shot down the helicopter.
If the claim is correct, it could be the first helicopter brought down by the militants in Pakistan.
An army spokesman, Major General Athar Abbas, denied the claim, saying "the detailed investigations are being carried out."
Pakistani forces having been taking on the Taliban in Orakzai, Khyber and three other districts in the tribal region that borders Afghanistan.
