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Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle belonging to Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak on Saturday after he had got out, and shortly afterwards a helicopter carrying the army chief crash-landed.

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A short time later, a helicopter taking off in the Panjsher valley to the north of Kabul, where officials were attending a memorial ceremony with Wardak, crashed after taking off. Among those on board was Army Chief General Bismillah Khan, another defence ministry official said. The helicopter’s engine failed and it crashed back to earth, said ministry official Sayed Hussain. “Thank God there are no casualties,” he said.

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