By KUNA,
London : A group of British officials escaped uninjured when their Nato helicopter made an “unscheduled landing” in southern Afghanistan, the UK Ministry of Defence (mod) said Sunday.
The group, which included Helmand governor Ghulab Mangal, was about to land in the provincial town of Musa Qaleh yesterday when a rocket-propelled grenade struck their CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
A Nato spokesman said a rocket-propelled grenade hit the tail end of the aircraft.
Mangal and other officials were due to inaugurate a new mosque in Musa Qaleh, a town that lies in Helmand at the heart of the country’s opium poppy-producing region.
A spokesman for the MoD said “An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) helicopter made an unscheduled landing at Forward Operating Base Edinburgh in the Musa Qaleh area.
“The reason for the landing is being investigated and further details will be released when they are available. No passengers were injured in the incident.” The number of British passengers on the aircraft is not known and they have not been named.
Major Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for Nato’s international force ISAF, said “There was a minor damage to shaft and the rear blade. The helicopter landed under control.” The delegation returned to the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah in another helicopter, Mangal said.