GHAZNI: Coalition forces flew sorties over the site of a crashed US military jet in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, hours after Afghan security forces trying to reach the charred wreckage clashed with Taliban insurgents.

The Bombardier E-11A — used for military communications — went down in snowy Taliban-controlled territory on Monday afternoon.

The Pentagon has confirmed the aircraft belonged to US forces, but dismissed Taliban claims it had been shot down.

US officials have not said how many people were on board at the time, and it remained unclear if and how the militants would allow their remains to be recovered.

Ghazni police chief Khaled Wardak said Afghan security forces had been trying to reach the wreckage when they were ambushed by the Taliban and pushed back.

“The site of the crash, for now, is being covered by the air force. Some say there are two bodies there, but some people there say there are more,” Wardak said.

Ghazni police spokesman Ahmad Khan Sirat confirmed the ambush and air presence, adding that at least one person was killed in the fighting between the Taliban and Afghan forces.

A local reporter at the scene said that one plane flying above the site fired flares as a crowd gathered nearby.

He said they were told by Taliban militants to leave to avoid being targeted by airstrikes.

Footage from the crash site showed people speaking Pashto walking around the crashed plane, with flames and smoke emanating from the charred fuselage.

What appeared to be at least two bodies could be seen.

Crashes involving military flights, particularly helicopters, are common in Afghanistan where inclement weather and creaky aircraft are often pressed to their limits in the war-torn country.

The crash comes as Washington and the Taliban continue to wrangle over a possible agreement that would see US troops begin to leave Afghanistan in return for security guarantees.

Another report said the United States on Tuesday recovered the remains of individuals from a US military aircraft that crashed in Afghanistan and was in the process of confirming their identities, a US defence official said.

The US official said multiple attempts had been made to recover the remains but had been hampered because of the terrain and weather. The Pentagon declined to comment.

“As per our information, there are four bodies and two onboard were alive and they are missing,” Wardak said, adding that the forces subsequently received an order to retreat and airborne action is to be taken instead.

“Taliban fighters on the ground counted six bodies at the site of the US airplane crash,” he said, adding that while there could have been more, the militant group could not be certain, as fire had reduced everything to ashes.

US officials said the plane was carrying fewer than five people when it crashed, with one official saying initial information showed there were at least two.

The crashed aircraft, built by Bombardier Inc, is used to provide communication capabilities in remote locations.

The crash came as the Taliban and United States have been in talks on ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan.

Trump has long called for an end to US involvement in Afghanistan, which began with an American invasion triggered by the Sept 11, 2001, attacks that Al Qaeda launched from then-Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2020