A plane crashed in a Taliban-controlled area of Afghanistan Monday and U.S. officials are working to confirm reports that it was an American military aircraft.A Taliban statement said the plane went down in Ghazni province at noon local time, and there were no survivors. It’s unclear if the group shot down the plane, or if it crashed because of other reasons.U.S. Army Maj. Beth Riordan, a spokeswoman for U.S. Central Command, said that it remained unclear whose aircraft was involved in the crash, the Associated Press reported.
Pictures and video from the crash site on social media showed what looked like a U.S. military aircraft. The AP report suggested it could be the remains of a Bombardier E-11A aircraft that the U.S. military uses for electronic surveillance over Afghanistan.
Sayed Abdul Wajeed Sadat, the Ghazni provincial head for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society told VOA five people had likely been killed in the crash. The humanitarian assistance organization is one of the few that sometimes gets access to Taliban controlled areas. The Red Cross official did not share further details of the crash or whether any of his teams had reached the site. A Taliban statement issued in multiple languages claimed CIA operatives were on board, without providing evidence. “Enemy intelligence aircraft crashed in Sado Khelo area of Deh Yak district #Ghazni noon hours today resulting in all crew & high-ranking CIA members killed. Wreckage & dead bodies laying at crash site,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid tweeted.
However, the Taliban often inflate casualty figures in their claims.
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