Aircraft crashes at base in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? A civilian cargo aircraft crashed at Bagram Air Field, north of the Afghan capital, soon after takeoff on Monday, the U.S.-led military coalition said.

It is not immediately known if there were casualties.

Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the crash, but the coalition denied that, saying in a statement to The Associated Press: "Taliban's claims are false. There was no enemy activity or involvement during this incident."

The coalition said emergency crews rushed to the scene and were assessing the situation.

Capt. Luca Carniel, a coalition spokesman, said the aircraft crashed from a low altitude right after takeoff. He had no information about how many people were on board or the name of the company operating the aircraft.

The district police chief in the area, Zamaray Khan, said the aircraft crashed at about 3 p.m.

In another development, President Hamid Karzai accused U.S. forces of killing four civilians and wounding one in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Sunday after an American' convoy was attacked by insurgents.

In a statement issued by his office, Karzai "strongly condemned the killing of innocent civilians."

The U.S.-led military coalition said it was still investigating the clash, which left four soldiers with minor injuries and damaged a patrol vehicle. In a statement issued on Sunday, the coalition said the Taliban attacked the coalition patrol with small arms fire and roadside bombs as it moved through a local bazaar in the province where there were civilians.

"Coalition forces engaged the enemy, pushed through the hostile area, and traveled to a nearby Afghan National Army checkpoint," the coalition said in a statement. "An investigation is currently underway to assess whether there are any civilian casualties as a result of insurgent fire."

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AP writers Amir Shah and Thomas Wagner in Kabul contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/aircraft-crashes-afghanistan-120331832.html

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