US Air Force F-16 Crashes in Afghanistan, Pilot Safely Ejects

— -- A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed on takeoff near Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan this morning.

The Pentagon said the pilot ejected safely and is being medically evaluated.

"Coalition forces are securing the crash site," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook.

Bagram Air Field is located northeast of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and is the U.S. military's main base of operations in Afghanistan.

Cook added that the cause of the accident is under investigation.

There are 9,800 American troops still in Afghanistan as part of a training and advisory mission.

The number of U.S. troops was slated to be reduced to 5,500 by year's end, but a resurgent Taliban has led U.S. military commanders to review those plans.