U.S. military plane crashes in Afghanistan, kills 14

A U.S. military transport plane crashed shortly after take-off at an airfield in Afghanistan just after midnight on Friday, killing 14 people, the U.S. military said, describing the crash as an accident.

The cause of the crash at Jalalabad airfield was under investigation, the military said.  Six U.S. military service members and five civilian contractors who were employed by the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan were killed in the crash. Three Afghan nationals were also killed, a U.S. military official said.

A spokesman for the Taliban militant movement seeking to topple the government said its fighters had shot down the aircraft, but the U.S. military said enemy fire was not suspected as a factor in the crash.

U.S. President Barack Obama issued a statement on Friday expressing condolences to families of the military members, civilians and Afghans who were killed.

"This is a reminder of the risks that our men and women face serving their country in remote places all over the world," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a statement. - Read More

U.S. military plane crashes in Afghanistan, kills 14

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