KABUL – An American C-130 transport plane has crashed in Afghanistan, killing at least 11 people, a US defense official has said. Among the dead are several US troop members and contracted civilians whose nationalities have not been disclosed.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for shooting down the C- 130, according to an international news agency. However, this information has not yet been confirmed, and US authorities previously denied any hostile engagement.

“Our mujahideen have shot down a four-engine US aircraft in Jalalabad,” the news agency cited Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying. “Based on credible information, 15 invading forces and a number of puppet troops were killed.”

Six US service members and five civilian contractors on board died in the crash, according to a US military spokesman, who did not rule out the possibility of more casualties on the ground.

At the same time, NBC reported that the plane crash claimed the lives of 12 people, including five US servicemen, five contractors, and two Afghani civilians.

A coalition spokesperson US Army Col. Brian Tribus has said the plane crashed shortly after midnight local time (3:30 p.m. ET) at Jalalabad Airport.

#INFOGRAPHIC US military plane crashes in Afghanistan, Taliban claims it shot it down @AFP pic.twitter.com/PdnIfp8VZf

— John Saeki (@JohnSaeki) October 2, 2015

A four-engine turboprop aircraft, the C-130 Hercules is usually used to transport personnel and cargo.

Pentagon sources have ruled out the possibility that the C-130 which crashed was shot down, while the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield described the crash as “an accident.”…

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