Helicopter Crash Kills Taiwan’s Top Military Officer

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – The defense ministry has confirmed Taiwan’s top military officer and seven other people were killed in a crash of an air force helicopter. Five people survived the crash of the Blackhawk helicopter in mountains outside the capital. Gen. Shen Yi-ming was responsible for overseeing the island’s defense against China, which threatens to use military force to annex what it considers it own territory. Shen had taken over as chief of the general staff in July after serving as commander of Taiwan’s air force, which is undergoing a substantial upgrade with the arrival of the most advanced version of the U.S. F-16V fighter.