KABUL: The Taliban said it had shot down a US military plane in the central Afghan province of Ghazni on Monday (Jan 27), killing all personnel on board.
“The plane, which was on an intelligence mission, was brought down in Sado Khel area of Deh Yak district of Ghazni province,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said in a statement, adding that everyone on board, including high ranking officers, had been killed.
A senior defense official investigating the crash said no senior US official was killed and added that they were still investigating the cause of the crash.
The US military, meanwhile, disputed claims that the Taliban had brought the military plane down.
“While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire,” a US military spokesman, Colonel Sonny Leggett, said in a statement.
The military aircraft, built by Bombardier Inc, is used to provide communication capabilities in remote locations.
The crash comes as the Taliban and United States have been in talks on ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan.
US President Donald Trump has long called for an end to US involvement in Afghanistan, which began with a US invasion triggered by the Sept 11, 2001, attacks that al Qaeda launched from then Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Negotiations between the two sides began last year in Doha but have been interrupted at least twice after Taliban attacks on US military personnel in September and December.
Last week, another round of talks kicked off with US Special Representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad meeting repeatedly with the Taliban’s chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
The military did not say how many were on board or if anyone was killed.
US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that fewer than five people were on the plane when it crashed. One official said that, according to initial information, at least two people were on the plane.
Pictures and a video on social media purportedly from the crash site showed what could be the remains of a Bombardier E-11A aircraft. Reuters could not verify the images.
“The plane, which was on an intelligence mission, was brought down in Sado Khel area of Deh Yak district of Ghazni province,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in a statement.
Dozens of private entities operate planes and helicopters across Afghanistan to move military contractors and aid. – Jan 28, 2020, Reuters
