The United States shot down that mysterious Chinese balloon

International Desk:  The mysterious Chinese balloon seen in the sky of the United States for the past few days has been shot down. The US Defense Department confirmed that a US fighter jet brought down the balloon in its territorial waters. The US claims that the Chinese balloon was spying on important US military sites. 

Three airports and airstrips along the US coast of North and South Carolina were closed Saturday as the military conducted operations. Video footage from the AP news agency showed the balloon falling into the sea after a small explosion.

US President Joe Biden has been under pressure to take down the balloon since it first appeared in the country's airspace last week. 

Meanwhile, China claims that the Chinese balloon seen in the US sky is a weather device. China's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday that it entered US airspace due to deviation from its orbit. Besides, the ministry also expressed regret for the untoward incident related to the entry into the airspace of the United States.

The balloon in question is actually a weather device and a purely civilian instrument, the statement said. The balloon was originally launched to collect data on meteorological conditions.

For the past few days, the mysterious balloon has been seen flying in the skies of the United States and Canada. First it was seen in the skies of Alaska, later in Canada and finally in the skies of the US state of Montana.

Ammunition and missiles of the country's defense forces are stored in the western US state of Montana. For this reason, this state is also known as the 'missile depot' of the US.

According to various US media reports, the balloon may be the size of three buses.

The Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, claims that this balloon is actually China's high-powered intelligence surveillance device. Pentagon officials initially planned to shoot down the balloon, but it was scrapped over fears that the balloon's debris could pose a safety hazard if it hit the ground.

However, after the balloon was spotted in the skies over Montana on Wednesday, Pentagon officials held an emergency meeting. In that meeting, it was decided to destroy the balloon by using warplanes.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has already canceled his scheduled visit to Beijing due to the complications related to this balloon.

 

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