KABUL, Afghanistan, July 6 (UPI) -- A NATO-chartered cargo plane crashed northwest of Kabul early Wednesday, and Afghan authorities said all nine people aboard were likely killed.
The Washington Post reported officials said no Americans were aboard the Azerbaijani aircraft, a Russian-made IL 76 that was en route from Baku to Bagram Air Base. The plane had been flying at about 12,500 feet when it went down in the Ghorband valley, the Post said.
The Taliban claimed the plane was shot down. But provincial Gov. Basir Salangi said it was flying too high for Taliban weapons to have hit it, and Maj. Tim James, a NATO spokesman, said there was "absolutely no indication that there was any insurgent activity" in the area at the time.
Salangi said officials sent to the site had reported the plane was destroyed and all those on board had died, the newspaper said.
Mohammad Yaqub Rassuli, head of the Kabul airport, said there had been no word on the nationalities of the crew members.
He told China's state-run Xinhua news agency the plane was carrying supplies and goods for coalition forces when it crashed in the mountainous area about 30 miles northwest of Kabul.
