A Northern Alliance military helicopter crashed near Taloqan, killing 20 people. The MI-8 helicopter was bound for Kabul with 20 military personnel on board. The helicopter crashed at Farkhar, about 22 miles southeast of the town. Among the victims was Mohammad Mustafa, commander of a unit which had guarded Ahmad Shah Masood. Two Pashtun commanders, Arbab Mohammad Hashim and Mirza Ghulam Nasiri, both of whom defected to the Alliance after Kunduz, also died in the crash. Hashim's supporters were alleging that their leader was deliberately killed.
More likely, the "unfortunate accident" would have been to shut up Mustafa. It's a favorite technique in Iraq. Betcha there's an easily deniable connection to Rasool Sayyaf. |