Taliban claim they shot down US military aircraft in Afghanistan
- Militant group spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid says high-ranking CIA officials were on the aircraft.
- Images and videos circulating on social media shows the burning remains of a Bombardier E-11A, used for electronic surveillance and radio communication.
- The incident will have no impact on the ongoing withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan: Taliban spokesman.
(Karachi) The Taliban has claimed that it shot down an American military plane in Afghanistan, killing officers, The Guardian reported on Monday.
Spokesman of the militant group, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that high-ranking CIA officials were on the aircraft that crashed at 1.10 pm, 80 miles southwest of Kabul in Deh Yak District. The Taliban claimed that the fighters have recovered the bodies and identification cards of service members onboard the aircraft.
The Taliban spokesman told The Guardian that the incident will have no impact on the ongoing withdrawal of United States forces from Afghanistan. “No agreement has been reached yet and the Americans are continuing their attacks too,” he stated.
Meanwhile, images and videos circulating on social media from local journalist Tariq Ghazniwal shows the burning remains of a Bombardier E-11A, used for electronic surveillance and radio communication.
Ghazniwal said the crash site was about 10 kilometers from a U.S. military base.
The aircraft is known as "Wi-Fi in the sky" and works to ensure a consistent and effective form of communication in nearly any location or environment, significantly reducing the possibility of communication failure and increasing the rate of mission success.
Ghazniwal claimed he saw two bodies but said others reported at least five of them.
The recent incident will be a big blow for the peace negotiations between the Afghan Taliban and the US.
US President Donald Trump seeks to fulfill his promise that he made in 2016 election campaign of withdrawing all American troops from Afghanistan. Pakistan has played a pivotal role in bringing the Taliban and the US together to hold negotiations over the peace process.