US shoots down another suspicious flying object over Alaska: Pentagon
The United States Air Force shot down an unidentified object over Alaska on Friday (local time), the Pentagon said, adding that it posed a threat to commercial flights in the area, reported The New York Times. Reportedly, the operation was carried out on President Joe Biden's orders—less than a week after a US fighter jet downed an alleged Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic.
Why does this story matter?
The incident comes less than a week after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the US Air Force. Moreover, the tensions between China and the US are once again on the rise following these spying allegations. The US claimed that the balloon was monitoring its nuclear weapons facilities. However, China denied the allegations saying it was a weather observation airship.
Flying object posed threat to commercial planes: NSC Spokesperson
US National Security Council (NSC) Spokesperson John Kirby said the object was traveling at around 40,000 feet, posing a threat to commercial planes, reported WSJ. He claimed it was "observed" before being downed over frozen waters in northern Alaska on Friday at around 1930 GMT (1:00 IST Saturday). The object was reportedly smaller than the huge Chinese balloon that traversed the US last week.
Nothing known yet in detail: Kirby
"We do expect to be able to recover the debris, since it fell not only within our territorial space," Kirby said. He underlined that nothing is known about the object yet, whether it is state-owned or operated by a corporate entity.
Watch: NSC Spokesperson John Kirby addressing media
No spying device found in flying object: Defense official
According to US defense authorities, the initial inquiry found no "observable" monitoring or surveillance equipment in the downed flying object. However, they stated that it was shot down in response to President Joe Biden's directive because it presented a threat to commercial aviation. Meanwhile, Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a defense spokesperson, stated that the object was shot down by an F-22 Raptor aircraft.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau supported US decision
Spy balloon incident impacts US-China relations
The previous spy balloon incident impacted the already poor US and China relations. The Pentagon claimed that the balloon was part of China's large surveillance program. However, China warned of repercussions and said it was an obvious overreaction on the part of the US to use force. China claimed the balloon was meant for weather purposes and drifted off to the US territory.
