The Ministry of Defense (MoD) confirmed a military helicopter has crashed, saying the helicopter was in a training flight in the southern province of Kandahar.

Earlier, a video of the crash was making the rounds on social media. Some social media users said that the helicopter was evacuating people stuck in the flood in the Maiwand district of Kandahar.  

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Inayatullah Khwarazmi, said the crash was due to technical problems and two pilots were injured.

“The helicopter crashed and is destroyed. Our pilots are injured but we don’t have fatalities. One of the pilots is in stable condition, another pilot is in critical condition,” he said.  

The cost of an MD-530 helicopter is nearly one million dollars. The MD-530 is provided with surveillance cameras and machine guns.  

Military veterans called on the Islamic Emirate to appoint former pilots and maintenance people to operate the aircraft.

“The improper use of this equipment is a crime, in fact. We as a country may not be able to purchase the current equipment due to financial problems,” said Hekmatullah Hekmat, a military veteran.  

“If the military equipment is used by inexperienced people, it (equipment) will be destroyed,” said Sadeq Shinwari, a military analyst.  

The citizens said that military equipment is national property and should be protected.  

“We call on the Islamic Emirate to pay serious attention to this issue,” said Sahil, another resident.