Uzbekistan's air defense system confirmed that it downed an Afghan military plane on Sunday that was attempting to enter its airspace illegally, the AP reported on Monday.
The takedown took place in the southeastern portion of the country near Surkhandarya where the nation shares a border with Afghanistan.
In an exchange with RIA Novosti, Russia's state news agency, Uzbekistan's Defense Ministry said that the air defense system, "averted an attempt by an Afghan military plane to illegally cross Uzbekistan's air border."
Local media originally reported the incident as a crash before confirming the plane was intentionally brought down. It has not yet been made clear what type of plane it was or how many people were aboard.
The Uzbek Defense Ministry said on Monday that one Afghan service member was injured after ejecting himself from the plane. This was followed by reporting from RIA that stated the plane's two pilots survived the downing but were in serious condition.
Following the Taliban's seizure of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, thousands of Afghans were seen crowding the city's tarmac as they looked for ways out of the country. One video showing three men falling from a U.S. military plane that they had clung to in an attempt to escape.
Efforts to evacuate those who could be targeted by the Taliban appear underway. On Monday, a plane sending an SOS signal transported 100 Afghan troops into Tajikistan, according to the country's foreign ministry. And on Sunday, 84 Afghan service members submitted to Uzbek border authorities where they requested medical attention for three injured troops.
The communications office for Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, who served in Afghanistan, told the AP that his office was working to support the Afghan pilots who fled to Uzbekistan.
"We're working with an intermediary who's been in touch with the pilots," Cotton's office said. "We have not heard from them since last night (Washington) time. We know Uzbekistan has taken their cellphones. Our primary concern is making sure Uzbekistan does not turn them over to the Taliban. We are frantically reaching out to the State Department on this case and trying to get them asylum and literally can't get a response."
Newsweek previously reported on the precarious situation of the thousands of U.S. military interpreters who are currently stranded in the country as they await U.S. visas. How the U.S. will support these individuals under the current threats stands to be seen.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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August 16, 2021 at 11:03PM
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Military Plane Fleeing Afghanistan Shot Down by Uzbekistan - Newsweek
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