The US Defense Department confirmed Monday that a military jet crashed in Ghazni province in Afghanistan, but rejected Taliban suggestions that it was shot down. Afghanistan US Forces spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett confirmed in a statement that the aircraft was a US Bombardier E-11A, a type of jet used as an airborne communications node in the region.
"While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire," Leggett said. He gave no information on casualties in the crash (AFP).
The Taliban earlier claimed a US forces aircraft crashed in eastern Afghanistan Monday hours after a plane went down into an area controlled largely by the insurgents. "An aircraft of American occupiers has crashed in Ghazni province," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a Pashto-language statement, adding that all the crew members onboard had been killed.
Confusion also clouded the Taliban statement, however, with one version saying the plane crashed while another version said the insurgents brought down the craft. Large swathes of rural areas in Ghazni province are controlled or under the influence of Taliban militants, making access difficult for officials.
But ministry of defense spokesman Rohullah Ahmadzai told AFP that the plane did not belong to Afghan forces or the country's intelligence agency. The ministry's statement comes hours after reports on social media were rife with suggestions that the plane was from state-owned Ariana Afghan Airlines - however the company said the rumours were "not true".
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