Aug. 16 (UPI) — An Afghan military jet crashed in Uzbekistan on Monday after officials say it was shot down for invading the country’s airspace.
The Uzbek defense ministry said forces shot down the jet shortly after it crossed the border.
Ministry spokesman Bahrom Zulfikorov said the jet crashed in Surxondaryo province in southern Uzbekistan, which shares a border with Afghanistan.
“Uzbekistan’s air defense forces prevented an attempt by an Afghan military aircraft to illegally cross Uzbekistan’s border,” Zulfikorov said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
It wasn’t immediately clear what type of jet was shot down.
Zulfikorov said the incident is under investigation.
“Currently, the details of the incident are being studied and the relevant information will be reported later,” Zulfikorov told Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.
It wasn’t immediately known why the jet flew into Uzbekistan or if it was related to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan on Sunday.