US U2 spy plane on Afghan mission crashes, pilot killed

A US Air Force U-2 spy plane has crashed in southwest Asia, killing the pilot, the military said on Wednesday. A short statement said the crash occurred at 5 a.m. IST on Wednesday morning, as the plane completed a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the name given to American Military operations in Afghanistan. The pilot was not identified. The crash occurred as the plane was returning to base, according to the statement issued by the Central Command. The base was not identified, but Military officials who have been briefed on the incident said it was returning to the Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. The location of the crash could not be disclosed ‘‘due to host-nation sensitivities,’’ Capt. David W. Small of the Air Force, a spokesman for Central Command, told the Associated Press.

The term Southwest Asia can be used by the Military to include the Middle East.

The cause of the crash is not known, Wednesday’s statement said, but officials said there were no indications of hostile fire. An interim investigation board has been appointed, and a full board will continue to look into the incident, according to Col. Darryl Burke, Commander of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, to which the pilot belonged. —NYT