Russian intelligence sources have confirmed that Michael D’ Andrea, the head of US intelligence operations against Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, has been killed in Taliban’s shoot-down of a US military plane in Ghazni.

The downed plane was the mobile CIA command for Michael D’ Andrea, and now, America’s most advanced spy platform and mobile command centre with all equipment and documents are in Taliban’s hands.

De Andrea, who was responsible for the assassination of Iran’s top commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, was apparently among the officers on board the plane, the Veterans Today website reports, quoting Russian intelligence sources.

Also known as Ayatollah Mike, D’Andrea is the most prominent figure of the CIA intelligence in the region.

Since 2017, D’ Andrea has run the CIA’s false flag and assassination programs in the Middle East, allegedly responsible not only for the murder of General Soleimani but the killing of 300 Iraqi demonstrators as well.

The US military has acknowledged the loss of a Bombardier/Northrop Grumman E-11A plane in central Afghanistan. They added that they have not found any “indication” that the aircraft was downed.

The aircraft crashed in Ghazni city area on Monday. An investigation into the incident is underway and the military will provide further information when its available, a spokesman for the US force in Afghanistan, Col. Sonny Leggett has tweeted.

The official also dismissed Taliban claims that another aircraft had crashed in the country, describing them as “false.” Earlier in the day, the Taliban said that a military helicopter went down in the east of the country shortly after the plane crash. The militant group did not provide any details of the alleged incident, nor did they specify to whom the helicopter belonged.

There has been some confusion as to whether Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for the plane crash. Their initial statement in Pushtu only stated that the plane had gone down.

The Bombardier/Northrop Grumman E-11A is a surveillance and communications plane. Footage from the scene showing the wreckage has been circulating on social media, and photos that appear to show a plane with the same serial number have been unearthed.

Videos showed the shell of the plane ablaze on the ground. It was largely destroyed in the fire with only its tail section surviving the crash.

Journalists have made it to the scene of a plane crash in Afghanistan, snapping pictures of the wreckage and even some documents. It comes as the US Air Force’s chief of staff all but confirmed the loss of the military plane.

Footage from the scene shows that the aircraft burned upon the impact, with only its tail section remaining largely intact.