6 U.S. Service Members And 7 Others Died After C-130 Plane Crashes At Jalalabad Airport In Afghanistan

Thirteen people died including six US service members after C-130 plane crashed at Jalalabad airport before taking off. Coalition spokesman US Army Col. Brian Tribus says the incident happened around midnight of Friday, NBC News noted on the same day.

Aside from the six US airmen, five passengers who were civilian contractors died on the incident. Also two other Afghan civilians were killed on the ground, Tribus adds.

According to Agence France-Presse, the Hercules aircraft was shot down by Taliban, as noted by The Guardian on the same day.

"Our mujahideen have shot down a four-engine US aircraft in Jalalabad," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on Twitter. "Based on credible information 15 invading forces and a number of puppet troops were killed."

Reports reveal that "the Taliban are known to make exaggerated battlefield claims, and the US military has so far not given details on the cause of the crash." However, US officials claim that they are "confident" that the Hercules aircraft "had not been shot down," adding that they are still investigating the incident.

"With high confidence, it does not appear at this time that enemy fire was involved in the aircraft crash," says Major Tony Wickman of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram. "We have first responders on scene working at the crash site doing recovery operations. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident."

The incident happened after "Afghan troops recaptured the center of the strategic northern city of Kunduz on Thursday amid fierce clashes with Taliban militants, three days after losing the provincial capital."

In addition, a caretaker says he heard a "strange sound" before he saw a "huge explosion and massive fire" that lasted for several hours.

The C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop cargo plane created by American aerospace company Lockheed Martin.