Categories: WORLD

Uzbekistan says it shot down Afghan military plane that violated its borders, amid exodus of government officials from Kabul

A spokesman for the Uzbek Defense Ministry told RIA Novosti that, on Sunday night, “the air defense forces of the Air Force of Uzbekistan suppressed an attempt to illegally cross the air border of Uzbekistan by an Afghan military aircraft.”

Reports from local media indicate that the two pilots on board the jet survived the crash, landing by parachute. Earlier that day, government spokesman Bakhrom Zulfikarov told TASS that the crash had occurred overnight, and that “details of the incident are currently being confirmed.

Ashraf Ghani, the now-ousted president who had headed the US-backed Afghan government since 2014, left the country on Sunday, and multiple sources said he had flown to Uzbekistan along with a close group of advisors. The Russian Embassy in Kabul has since said he attempted to leave with large quantities of cash and valuables.

“As for the collapse of the regime, it is best explained by how Ghani escaped from Afghanistan,” press secretary Nikita Ishchenko said. “Four cars were filled with money and they tried to shove the other part of the money into a helicopter, but not everything fit. And so, some of the money was left behind on the runway.”

US-trained soldiers were seen abandoning their checkpoints over the weekend as the Taliban (a prohibited terrorist organization in Russia) rolled towards the capital. According to a 2019 study by Brown University, Washington has spent around $978 billion in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2001, including arming, equipping and drilling local troops.

READ MORE: US ‘failure’ in Afghanistan handed country to Taliban, Moscow says, claims American ‘hegemony’ declining as Russia & China on rise

Just over a week ago, American President Joe Biden said that local forces outnumbered the Taliban and that the fall of the capital would not be “inevitable.” However, on Sunday, Washington flew its ambassador out of the country as smoke rose above its embassy, following instructions to destroy sensitive materials in order to prevent them falling into the hands of the Taliban.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!

© 2021, paradox. All rights reserved.

paradox

Share
Published by
paradox

Recent Posts

Russian defense chief inspects new anti-drone weaponry (VIDEO)

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has met with top military officials to discuss the battlefield…

5 hours ago

Palestinians chase away German diplomat (VIDEOS)

The German ambassador to the Palestinian Authority has been hounded by an angry mob and…

14 hours ago

White House mulls Russian uranium ban – Bloomberg

The Biden administration is considering a ban on enriched uranium from Russia using the president’s…

23 hours ago

Pro-Palestine protesters arrested at Texas university (VIDEOS)

State troopers used pepper spray and stun grenades as they arrested dozens of pro-Palestine protesters…

1 day ago

Ukraine running out of troops for US to train – WaPo

The number and frequency of Ukrainian soldiers receiving training in US bases in Western Europe has dropped…

2 days ago

Europeans won’t ‘go die for Donbass’ – Borrell

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has insisted that member states don’t want their citizens…

2 days ago