Helicopter crash kills three Afghan air crew

KABUL: An Afghan Mi-17 military helicopter crashed on Sunday after a technical failure during a training exercise, killing three air crew and wounding another in Logar province, south of the capital Kabul, the Defence Ministry said.

The Mi-17, a transport and attack helicopter, is the mainstay of the fledgling Afghan air force, which has around 50 of the Russian-made machines.

A report has noted that the fleet was under heavy strain because of the constant operations it was required to conduct to support the army while it battled the widening Taliban insurgency.