An Air Force C-130J assigned to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron? crashed at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan, around 12 a.m. local time on Oct. 2, killing the six US crewmembers and five civilian passengers, according to an Air Forces Central Command release. “First responders are on scene. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation,” states the release. There were no reports of hostile fire at the time of the crash, reported NBC News.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
