Afghan Troops and Taliban Battles Where US Aircraft Crashed

Afghan troops were hit with the Taliban when they tried to reach the wreck of an American plane in the mountains. The Taliban claimed yesterday to have brought the aircraft down during a reconnaissance flight over the east of the country.

The Afghan forces and their allies are trying to reach the wreck from the air today. According to the police chief in the concerned centrally located province of Ghazni, those troops have been ambushed and forced to withdraw.

Yesterday an American aircraft crashed in the mountainous province. After previous reports about a crashed passenger aircraft, it turned out to be a military aircraft.

According to Washington, this was a Bombardier E-11A intended for communication purposes.

The Americans did not disclose how many passengers were on board. They did say that the device was not shot.

The Taliban dispute that. According to them, they took the plane down and there were principal CIA officers on board. It is bitterly cold in the area where the plane landed.