The Taliban has taken credit for a plane crash that killed six U.S. airmen and five civilians, but U.S. officials maintain that isn’t the case.
{mosads}“It is with high confidence that we can say it does not appear that enemy fire was involved,” U.S. Air Force Maj. Tony Wickman told several media outlets.
The Taliban is known for exaggerating successes and claiming to shoot down military aircraft.
Just after midnight Friday, an Air Force C-130J transport plane crashed at the Jalalabad Airport in eastern Afghanistan. The six servicemen were the plane’s crew, and the five passengers were civilian contractors.
The airmen were assigned to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, part of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing.
In a tweet early Friday morning, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, “Our mujahideen have shot down a four-engine US aircraft in Jalalabad.”
U.S. officials have released few other details about the crash. An investigation into the cause is underway, Wickman said.