The Taliban’s predatory instincts kicked in when a storm forced a helicopter ferrying foreign engineers to make an emergency landing in eastern Afghanistan; the militants moved in and kidnapped the foreigners.

The Russian-made copter went down in Mangal Khel, a mountainous area of Logar Province that is almost entirely controlled by the Taliban.  A Russian pilot and eight Turkish Engineers are among the hostages.  It gives the Taliban a crucial bit of leverage, just as the United States military and the few troops left in the International Force are preparing to leave Afghanistan.

“It’s a lot of people to take hostage; a lot of civilians,” said a senior Western official here who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the abduction.  “It gives the Taliban bargaining chips, no question about that.”

The way the Taliban will leverage the hostages might tell intelligence agencies a lot about its future priorities.  They could try to meet short-term goals by trading the hostages for militants being held in Bagram Prison.  Or they might try and ransom the hostages for a payday to finance future operations.

Afghan officials have no idea where the hostages are, and some believed they’ve been split up and are being moved from village to village.