The US Department of Defense has confirmed the shooting down of another unidentified flying object. The incident happened over Lake Huron in the state of Michigan, the Pentagon said in Washington.
“I applaud the decisive action taken by our fighter pilots,” wrote Republican Congressman Jack Bergman of Michigan. At the same time, he emphasized: “The American people deserve far more answers than we have.” Similarly, Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, also from Michigan. She thanked everyone involved for the effort and added: “We are all interested in what exactly this object was and what purpose it served.”
It’s been puzzling for days
Mysterious flying objects over North America have been puzzling the United States and the world for days. US fighter jets shot down two unidentified flying objects on Friday and Saturday: one off the coast of the US state of Alaska, the other over northern Canada. So far it is unclear what kind of objects they were, where they came from and what their goal was. The salvage of the remains of the flying objects should provide information.
The incidents were reminiscent of a Chinese balloon suspected of being used for espionage purposes, which the US Air Force had brought down from the sky off the coast of the state of South Carolina in early February. It is still unclear whether the incidents are related.
Beijing: US balloons keep entering China’s airspace
In the balloon affair, China has accused the United States of having illegally flown balloons at high altitudes over China more than ten times. The US should stop slandering others and seeking confrontation, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told the press in Beijing. Unlike the United States, China responded to the overflights “responsibly and professionally.” It is quite common for US balloons to fly at high altitudes over other countries. US National Security Council communications director John Kirby called the Chinese statements about overflights over Chinese territory false.
USA and China talk for the first time in the balloon affair
After the suspected spy balloon was shot down off South Carolina on February 4, the United States communicated with China about the case for the first time. Deputy Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton told reporters that there had been “contacts with the People’s Republic of China because of the high-altitude balloon.” She did not provide any information on who was involved in the contact or what it contained.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had unsuccessfully asked to speak to the Chinese defense minister after he flew over the United States for days and was eventually shot down by a US fighter jet off the US east coast.
Beijing confirmed on Thursday that it had declined a phone call to Austin after the balloon was launched. “The US’s irresponsible and seriously erroneous approach has not created a suitable atmosphere for dialogue and exchanges between the two armies,” the Chinese Defense Ministry said.
The day-long overflight of the Chinese balloon over the United States had led to a scandal between Washington and Beijing. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned trip to China at short notice. Washington said on Wednesday that the downed balloon was one of a fleet of spy balloons that flew across five continents. Similar balloons had been sighted over South and Central America. China rejects the espionage accusation and speaks of civil balloons for meteorological purposes that have gone off course.
haz/wa/qu/kle (dpa, afp, rtr)
