Afghanistan A Taliban spokesman said they shot down a US plane after a plane crashed and caught fire in Ghazni province this afternoon.

"At about 13h10 (2:40 pm Hanoi time), a plane crashed in Deh Yak district of Ghazni province. The plane caught fire and the villagers tried to put out the fire. We still don't know if this is a military or commercial plane." , Aref Noori, spokesman for Governor Ghazni, today told AFP.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, later issued a statement saying they shot down "an American plane carrying out an intelligence mission" in the area of Sado Khel, Deh Yak district, Ghazni province, causing all aboard. muscle, including senior officials, were killed.

It is not clear how many people are on the plane. Local media reported 6 dead.

A US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the military was investigating the incident, but he believed a senior official had died. The image that was circulated on social networks showed that the plane in distress could be the US Bombardier E-11A, used for electronic surveillance in Afghanistan.

It was initially reported that the plane belonged to the national airline Ariana Afghan Airlines but Mirwais Mirzakwal, acting its chief executive, denied it. Rural areas in Ghazni province, central Afghanistan, are under the control or influence of Taliban militants, making it difficult for government forces to access the scene.

The Afghan battlefield is the longest American war, with some 2,400 American soldiers killed since 2001, when Washington sent troops to the country after 9/11. The Pentagon maintains about 13,000 troops in Afghanistan. At least 20 U.S. soldiers were killed in Afghanistan in 2019, the largest number since the United States announced a halt to military operations in 2014.

The United States and the Taliban discussed the US deal to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan, while the Taliban pledged to destroy al-Qaeda and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) organization. However, negotiation efforts stalled from the end of last year.

Location of Ghanzi. Graphics: lahistoriaconmapas.