Taliban Kidnaps Nine Foreigners

An Afghan pilot and nine foreign nationals were captured by the Taliban on Sunday, when the private helicopter they were using to deliver food and other items to Kabul from a NATO base in Khost province malfunctioned and was forced to make an emergency landing in eastern Afghanistan. They were immediately surrounded by Taliban insurgents, and the seven Turkish engineers, two Russian pilots and one Afghan were taken hostage. Via text message, the Taliban told news outlets it was responsible for forcing the aircraft to land. Tribal elders have been enlisted by local officials to help rescue the hostages.