Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss, 46, and Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf, 30, died in Monday plane crash claimed by Taliban
Following two days of silence and reported investigation, the Pentagon has confirmed that two U.S. airmen were killed in an Air Force plane crash Monday in Afghanistan.
"The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two airmen who were supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel," it said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss, 46, and Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf, 30, died Monday in the crash of a Bombardier E-11A aircraft in Ghazni, central Afghanistan, it said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
On Monday U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) spokesman Col Sonny Leggett announced that a U.S. Air Force plane crashed in Afghanistan, without giving information on casualties.
"While the cause of the crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire," Leggett tweeted.
However, the Taliban claimed that its forces had shot down the U.S. plane.
Zabihullah Mujahed, a Taliban spokesman, claimed in a statement on social media, "All staff and passengers, including key officers of the CIA, have been killed," posting pictures and video of a plane with apparent U.S. markings.