An Iranian semi-official news agency claims that the CIA chief who helped orchestrate the airstrike that killed Iranian Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani died in the military plane crash Monday in Afghanistan, The Jerusalem Post reports.
An Air Force E-11A communications aircraft crashed in eastern Afghanistan on Monday in territory held by the Taliban, which has kept Afghan forces supported by the U.S. from reaching the wreckage. Iran’s Mehr News has since claimed that CIA officer Michael D’Andrea, who has been called the “Dark Prince” and “Ayatollah Mike” and has been credited with hunting down Osama bin Laden, was on the plane, citing the website “Veterans Today,” which has been repeatedly accused of anti-Semitism and of producing fake news.
The U.S. has not confirmed the identities of those onboard the plane.
U.S. Forces-Afghanistan spokesperson Col. Sonny Leggett told reporters on Monday that "U.S. Bombardier E-11A crashed today in Ghazni province, Afghanistan. While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire. We will provide additional information as it becomes available. "
Air Force Chief of Staff Dave Goldfein added that “We don’t know the status of the crew. Our A3 director of operations and the AFCENT commander, Gen [Joseph] Guastella, are working with Gen. [Austin] Miller to make sure we know what’s happening and deal with it. I probably know as much as you do at this point.”
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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