US Military Aircraft Reported Crashed in Taliban Controlled Area in Afghanistan
US Military Aircraft Reported Crashed in Afghanistan.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein confirmed an E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node crashed in Afghanistan on Jan. 27, but said it’s still not clear how the aircraft was brought down or if there were any casualties, Air Force Magazine gave the latest update.
USFOR Col. Sonny Leggett: A U.S. Bombardier E-11A crashed today in Ghazni province, Afghanistan. While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire. We will provide additional information as it becomes available. He is referring to reports similar to the tweet below his:
EARLIER REPORTS
“You know, first reports are always wrong,” Goldfein told reporters after a fireside chat at the Center for New American Security in Washington, D.C. “I know as much as you do at this point.”
According to a U.S. official, the plane was a small American fixed-wing aircraft with two people on board, both of whom died in the crash. The official told NPR that the plane went down because of mechanical problems.
Reports purportedly from officials differ below.
Officials have yet to publicly confirm that this was a DOD asset or give further details.
By Ayesha Tanzeem VOA
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.
many conflicting accounts are circulating on social media we will update with official reports when they are released but below are VOA reports.
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.
Time purports to show images of the crash In video above