2 U.S. airmen killed in Afghanistan plane crash: Pentagon

WASHINGTON–The U.S. Defense Department on Wednesday confirmed the death of two airmen in a U.S. military plane crash in Afghanistan earlier this week.

The two, who were supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel, died on Monday in the crash of a Bombardier E-11A aircraft in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, said the Pentagon in a statement.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, it said. Afghanistan's Taliban claimed Monday that its fighters shot down a U.S. aircraft in Ghazni Province, while the U.S. military said there are "no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire."

The United States reportedly maintains some 12,000 troops in Afghanistan, largely providing training missions to local Afghan forces while conducting counterterrorism operations against terror groups.

Operation Freedom's Sentinel is one of the two major tasks of U.S. troops and their coalition partners in Afghanistan. It is aimed at hunting down and killing terror group militants using the country as a hideout.

Another major task is called Operation Resolute Support, which is to train and advise Afghan forces fighting the Taliban.