Pakistani helicopter crew held hostage by Afghan Taliban reaches Islamabad

KABUL:The Afghan Taliban released crew of a Punjab government helicopter which had crash landed in Logar province this month, Afghan media reported.

The crew reached Islamabad safe and sound on Saturday, government sources confirmed.

The crew was released in an inter-tribe exchange on the Pakistan -Afghan border in FATA. They were further transported from FATA to Islamabad by a helicopter, a Foreign Office statement confirmed.

The release of the of the crew was made possible through talks between tribal jirgas on both sides of the border, sources confirmed.

The six crew members have been identified as Capt Safdar Hussain (Chief pilot), Capt Safdar Ashraf, Capt Muhammad Shafiq-ur-Rehman (First Officer), Nasir Mahmood (Flt Engineer), Muhammad Kausar (Crew Chief), Sergei Sevastianov (Russian navigator), the foreign office confirmed.

On August 4 a Punjab government helicopter en-route Uzbekistan crash landed at Logar province in Afghanistan. All six of its crew members were taken hostage by the Taliban.

Earlier, a senior Afghan Taliban commander, speaking on condition of anonymity, told news agency Reuters that the passengers — five Pakistanis and a Russian technician — were in their custody and that negotiations for their release were ongoing.

"They are being looked after, being provided tea, food, everything," he said. "We are in touch with the Pakistani officials. We conveyed to them that they are in safe hands."

Efforts were underway to recover the crew which included five Pakistanis and a Russian technician.

On the day of the incident, the army chief had also contacted top US commander in Afghanistan General John Nicholson asking for his international military coalition's help in recovering the men.