The representative of the US armed forces in Afghanistan, Colonel Sonny Leggett said that military aircraft, Bombardier E-11A, crashed in Ghazni province. The investigation is ongoing. The U.S. military argue that while there is no evidence that he was hit by enemy fire.
Arif Nuri, a representative of the provincial Governor, said the plane crashed at about 13:10 local time (8:40 GMT) in the district of DEH Yak, 130 kilometers southwest of Kabul. He said that the crash site is in territory controlled by the Taliban. Two members of the provincial Council also confirmed the crash.
UPDATE: Afghanistan crash.
The First few video frames of the crash scene confirm the aircraft to be Bombardier E-11A ’11-9358′ (military Global Express) 1 of 4 operated by the USAF Battlefield Airborne Communications Node. Number of personnel on board & casualties still not known. pic.twitter.com/vIHtHPzqip
— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) January 27, 2020
It is expected that this crash will not derail the peace talks between the US and the Taliban, if it turns out that it was an accident.
The British newspaper the Guardian writes that the representative of the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, has said that Taliban shot down the plane over territory they control near the town of Ghazni. Mujahid in a statement posted online, said: «American aircraft-the invader was shot down. Many of the officers were killed.» According to him, on Board the plane were high-ranking officers of the CIA, but this statement is not confirmed.
Another video of #American aircraft shot dawned by #Taliban in #Ghazni #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/pYKHx2q3tI
— Tariq Ghazniwal (@TGhazniwal) January 27, 2020
In the comments Mujahid told The Guardian that the alleged attack on the plane «no impact» on the negotiations on the withdrawal of USA from Afghanistan. «The agreement has not been reached, and the Americans, too, continue your attack.»
American bomber E-11A crashed early Monday morning and was initially accepted by the Afghan authorities for passenger aircraft. But soon there were shots, presumably from the crash site showing the emblem of the U.S. air force in the charred fuselage.
🇦🇫Plane Crash Afghanistan — Deh Yak district — Accident #Bombardier Global Express (E-11A) 11-9358, US Air Force (#USAF), 27 Jan 2020.https://t.co/uwvZ63bQMN via @AviationSafety
©Gavin 2018https://t.co/CrXF8evp1V pic.twitter.com/qjTTvBGACt
— PLANES OF LEGEND (@PlanesOfLegend) January 27, 2020
Bombardier E-11A is a plane-a repeater, a communication surveillance platform, the U.S. air force. The so-called Air Communication Node (BACN) can be transported in unmanned or crew the aircraft such as the E-11A. He used the military to extend the range of radio signals and can be used to convert the output signal of one device to another, for example, to connect the radio to the phone.
In colloquial speech, this device the U.S. military is called «Wi-Fi in the sky». The BACN system is required in areas where communication is difficult, because it «picks up» signals over obstacles such as mountains. This system is regularly used in Afghanistan.
U.S. Military confirms crash of the Bombardier E-11A today in Ghazni province, Afghanistan. No indications it was shot down by enemy fire. There were fewer than 10 people on board. https://t.co/dPGDVD6Sko pic.twitter.com/uP1DiAHXFs
— Breaking Aviation News (@breakingavnews) January 27, 2020
Tagir was Hannibal, a journalist working in the area, said that he saw a burning plane. On Twitter he told The Associated Press that he saw two bodies and the fact that the front part of the plane was badly burned. He added that the body and the tail of the aircraft almost intact.
Hannibal was reported that the plane crashed about 10 kilometers from the military base of the United States. According to him, the local Taliban are in control of the crash site, and some fighters are looking for two people who they suspect could have survived the crash.
According to the reporter, nearby is the village of Sado HELO in the district of DEH Yak. He also said that the accident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. (local time), but residents of the area reported a loud explosion. He could not say whether the downed aircraft, but «the accident was loud».
The US and the Taliban negotiate on the reduction of hostilities, for the signing of the peace agreement and the withdrawal of 13,000 American soldiers. Currently, the Taliban controls about half of the country.
Two weeks ago, a guided missile AGM-114R9X was used by the US military in Afghanistan near the village of Imam Sahib (Kunduz province) to eliminate one of the commanders of the Taliban. It was a response to the killing by the Taliban of two US soldiers in Kandahar province (Afghanistan).
