Afghan Military Plane Crashes in Uzbekistan; Cause Disputed

Afghan Military Plane Crashes in Uzbekistan; Cause Disputed
An observation tower along the border which separates Uzbekistan and Afghanistan near Termez, Uzbekistan, on Aug. 14, 2021. Temur Ismailov/AFP via Getty Images
|Updated:

MOSCOW—An Afghan military plane crashed in Uzbekistan over the weekend, and Uzbek authorities on Monday issued conflicting reports on the cause. The wreckage came as dozens of Afghan military aircraft carrying hundreds of servicemen reportedly reached Uzbekistan, among the thousands fleeing the country after the Taliban terrorist group recaptured the Afghan capital of Kabul.

The plane crash in southeastern Uzbekistan, in the Surkhandarya region on the border with Afghanistan, was first reported by local media. Uzbekistan’s Defense Ministry initially said it was studying videos and reports of the crash, then confirmed that the plane did crash, without elaborating.