A U.S. official tells The Daily Beast that no Americans were taken captive by the Taliban following the alleged downing of a helicopter in Afghanistan on Tuesday. “There were no U.S. citizens on board, even the pilots,” the official said. A Defense Department official seconded that: “We are aware of the reports, we can confirm that it was not a U.S. helicopter, and that no U.S. personnel were on board, and that we will defer to the countries involved to speak to it.” The Taliban tweeted the claim, saying two Americans and 13 Afghans were captured.
— Shane Harris and Nancy Youssef
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