The Turkish General Staff has said the initial findings of a report suggest that technical failure caused a recent helicopter crash in Afghanistan, which left ۱۲ Turkish troops and four Afghans dead.
The General Staff posted a statement on its website on Monday that said an investigative team of ۱۲ experts sent to Kabul after the helicopter crash has returned Turkey. The military said their initial findings suggest the helicopter went down due to a technical failure, adding that a report will be prepared after further examination of samples from the wreckage and that it will be shared with the public.
A Turkish military helicopter crashed into a home near the Afghan capital on March ۱۶, killing ۱۲ Turkish soldiers on board and four Afghan civilians on the ground. It was by far the deadliest incident involving Turkish soldiers in Afghanistan, where they play a noncombatant role.
The helicopter, a Sikorsky, was on a mission for US-led NATO forces when it went down near Kabul, the Turkish military said in a statement. Iran, the US and Afghanistan have extended their condolences to Turkey over the incident.