U.S. confirms two deaths in Afghanistan plane crash

The U.S. military recovered the remains of two service members after their aircraft crashed in Taliban territory on Monday. Only two people were on board when the E-11A electronic surveillance plane went down, according to U.S. military command in Afghanistan. Officials also retrieved the aircraft’s flight data recorder.

What caused the crash? It remains unclear what caused the plane to crash in Afghanistan’s central Ghazni province, a Taliban stronghold. U.S. officials have launched an investigation, but so far there is no indication enemy fire brought down the plane, according to Col. Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for U.S. forces in the country. The United States and the Taliban are currently negotiating a possible cease-fire in Afghanistan’s long-running war to discuss a peace pact.

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour on the fear and unrest in Afghanistan after U.S.-Taliban peace talks broke down in September.