UPDATE - Plane crashes in central Afghanistan: Reports

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By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan on Monday claimed to have brought down a plane allegedly belonging to the CIA, a claim as yet unconfirmed by NATO forces in the country.

Zabihullah Mujahed, the Taliban spokesman, said in a statement that the plane was on a “spy mission.”

“All staff and passengers, including key officers of the CIA, have been killed,” he claimed, also sharing on Twitter a video and visuals of a plane with apparent U.S. Air Combat Command markings.

There have been no comments from the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in the country.

Earlier Monday, reports said a passenger plane had crashed in Afghanistan's restive central Ghazni province. Khaliq Dad Akbari, a member of the provincial council, told Anadolu Agency the plane crashed close to the Taliban-controlled Deh Yak district at around 1:30 p.m. (0900GMT), but the country’s Civil Aviation Authority denied the reports.

If the Taliban’s claims are true, this would be at least the third plane or helicopter allegedly shot down by the insurgents in Afghanistan this month.