U.S. denies Taliban responsible for U.S. C-130 crash

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. officials have refuted the Taliban's claim of responsibility for the C-130 crash that killed 11 at the Jalalabad Airport in Afghanistan on Friday.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid tweeted "in Jalalabad a US aircraft was shot down by our muhajideen." However, U.S. military officials are skeptical of the claim.

"With high confidence, it does not appear at this time that enemy fire was a factor in the aircraft crash," said U.S. Air Force Maj. tony Wickman. "We have first responders on scene working at the crash site doing recovery operations, so I can't give you information on casualties on the ground. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident."

The crash occurred just after midnight at a military airport roughly 100 miles away from the country's capital city Kabul. The C-130J was assigned to the 774th Airlift Squadron, part of the 455th Expeditionary Wing.

C-130 Hercules aircraft are four-engine turboprop planes developed for the U.S. Air Force by Lockheed Martin, used for mass transportation of personnel and equipment. The craft is capable of taking off from unprepared runways.

The crash follows a series of fighting between Taliban militants and Afghan security forces in Kunduz. Despite resistance, government forces were able to recapture parts of the city on October 1. The Taliban maintains control over parts of the city. The city served as the Taliban's stronghold before the U.S.-led coalition invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.