(Reuters) – The U.S. military said on Monday an E-11A aircraft crashed in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, but disputed claims that the Taliban had brought the military plane down.

Senior Afghan officials told Reuters the authorities had rushed local personnel to locate and identify the wreckage, in a mountainous area partly controlled by the Taliban.

“While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire,” a U.S. military spokesman, Colonel Sonny Leggett, said in a statement.

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

The military did not say how many were on board or if anyone was killed.

U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that fewer than five people were on the plane when it crashed. One official said that, according to initial information, at least two people were on the plane.

Pictures and a video on social media purportedly from the crash site showed what could be the remains of a Bombardier E-11A aircraft. Reuters could not verify the images.

“The plane, which was on an intelligence mission, was brought down in Sado Khel area of Deh Yak district of Ghazni province,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in a statement.

Mujahid did not say how fighters had brought the plane down. He said the crew on board included high ranking U.S. officers. A senior defense official denied that senior American officers were involved.

The Taliban controls large parts of Ghazni province. The militant group, which has been waging a war against U.S.-led forces since 2001, often exaggerates enemy casualty figures.

SOURCE REUTERS, read more.. Photo: Jeroen Vogelaar