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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/27/afghanistan-taliban-claim-they-shot-down-us-air-force-plane-crash
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| Afghanistan: Taliban claim they shot down US air force plane | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Spokesman claims high-ranking CIA officers were on plane that crashed in eastern Afghanistan | Spokesman claims high-ranking CIA officers were on plane that crashed in eastern Afghanistan |
| A Taliban spokesman claims the group has shot down a US military aircraft over eastern Afghanistan. | A Taliban spokesman claims the group has shot down a US military aircraft over eastern Afghanistan. |
| The US military said on Monday it was investigating reports of a crash in Taliban-controlled territory. | The US military said on Monday it was investigating reports of a crash in Taliban-controlled territory. |
| Footage purportedly taken from the snowy wreckage site showed the US air force insignia on the charred fuselage. | Footage purportedly taken from the snowy wreckage site showed the US air force insignia on the charred fuselage. |
| A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement posted online: “An American invader aircraft has been shot down. Lots of officers have been killed.” | A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement posted online: “An American invader aircraft has been shot down. Lots of officers have been killed.” |
| He claimed high-ranking CIA officers had been onboard the plane. Neither the footage nor his claims could be verified. | He claimed high-ranking CIA officers had been onboard the plane. Neither the footage nor his claims could be verified. |
| In separate comments, Mujahid told the Guardian the purported shoot-down “has no impact” on the ongoing negotiations over the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. “No agreement has been reached yet and Americans are continuing their attacks too.” | In separate comments, Mujahid told the Guardian the purported shoot-down “has no impact” on the ongoing negotiations over the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. “No agreement has been reached yet and Americans are continuing their attacks too.” |
| Tariq Ghazniwal, a local journalist, said he saw two bodies but others had counted a total of five. | Tariq Ghazniwal, a local journalist, said he saw two bodies but others had counted a total of five. |
| The aircraft in the footage appeared to show a US air force E-11 Battlefield Airborne Communications Node. It has been described by the air force as “Wi-Fi in the sky”, a roving communications satellite to support missions in remote areas without existing infrastructure. | The aircraft in the footage appeared to show a US air force E-11 Battlefield Airborne Communications Node. It has been described by the air force as “Wi-Fi in the sky”, a roving communications satellite to support missions in remote areas without existing infrastructure. |
| The Taliban have occasionally been reported to have access to anti-aircraft weapons, including cases where they fired Stinger missiles of the kind supplied to the rebels by the CIA during the 1980s Russian occupation. | The Taliban have occasionally been reported to have access to anti-aircraft weapons, including cases where they fired Stinger missiles of the kind supplied to the rebels by the CIA during the 1980s Russian occupation. |
| In 2007, Taliban fighters were thought to have used a shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missile to shoot down a British Chinook helicopter, killing all onboard. | In 2007, Taliban fighters were thought to have used a shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missile to shoot down a British Chinook helicopter, killing all onboard. |
| The Afghan government initially said a passenger jet carrying more than 80 people had crashed, but retracted the claim a few hours later. | The Afghan government initially said a passenger jet carrying more than 80 people had crashed, but retracted the claim a few hours later. |