According to the reports coming in from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, an Afghan military jet was shot down by the Uzbek air defence forces following which it crashed.
The Uzbek defence ministry said on Monday that the jet was shot down after it crossed the border into Uzbekistan from Afghanistan adding that the jet crashed late on Sunday in Uzbekistan’s southernmost Surxondaryo province adjacent to Afghanistan.
“Uzbekistan’s air defence forces prevented an attempt by an Afghan military aircraft to illegally cross Uzbekistan’s border,” defence ministry spokesman Bahrom Zulfikorov said.
Bahrom Zulfikorov did not say how many people were on board or whether they have survived the crash.
Russia’s RIA news agency earlier on Monday cited Uzbekistan’s defence ministry as saying the pilot had ejected and was injured.
On Sunday, Uzbekistan said it had detained 84 Afghan soldiers who had crossed the border and sought medical help.
Earlier, the Taliban militia had announced that it had taken complete control of the country’s capital, Kabul following which all commercial flights from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul have been cancelled.
“All the flights from Kabul airport have been temporarily cancelled and the passengers should not come to the airport until informed,” said a statement of Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority released on Monday.
(With agency inputs)