Fate of Moldovan crew captured by Taliban militants still unclear

Chisinau, 25 November /MOLDPRES/-Moldova’s Civil Aviation Authority (AAC) and the “Valan International Cargo Charter” have so far no information on the fate of the three Moldovan pilots, onboard the helicopter seized by  Taliban militants in a northern region of Afghanistan, on 24 November afternoon. Representatives of both institutions made statements to this effect at a news conference today.

The head of ”Valan International Cargo Charter” company’s commercial department, Eugen Zagrebelnic, said the helicopter had been working in Afghanistan under a contract signed with the U.S. authorities, which provide assistance to the Cabul government. At the time of the tragedy, the helicopter was transporting passengers to supply Afghan security forces within a civil mission. “This is an unprecedented incident. The crew reported that it had been attacked. The helicopter was forced to land,” Zagrebelnic said.

“We don’t know for sure whether the members of the crew are alive or captured. The rescue team found four dead bodies on spot, one of whom was possibly a Moldovan. For clear reasons, we will not announce his name. It is possible that people aboard be captured and held hostage, however, we are not sure of this, as no one has claimed any redemption. If they are really held hostage, it is very important that we check the information we are providing, as it can turn against them,” Zagrebelnic noted.

For his part, AAC deputy head, Nicolae Buzu, said the crew had been forced to land after being attacked and their helicopter caught fire. At the moment of landing, the helicopter was intact and the 21 members onboard the airship were alive. However, when reaching the place of the tragedy, “the rescue team found four of them dead”. Three Moldovan aircrafts were active in that region, and only one of them was under an UN mission. The other two were operating civil flights on behalf of the American government.

Moldovan authorities created a crisis cell in charge of managing the situation and asked Afghanistan, USA and Romania to help them get information on the fate of the three Moldovans captured by Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan.

(Reporter V. Rusu, Editor L. Alcaza)