Washington D.C. - In a shocking turn of events, the United States has shot down a high-altitude object over Alaska. The incident took place within the last hour and the object fell within the country's territorial space in the Arctic Ocean. John Kirby, the US NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications, confirmed that the Department of Defence was tracking the object over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours and that fighter aircraft assigned to US Northern Command took down the object.
According to Kirby, the object was much smaller than the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the US last Saturday. He described the object as roughly the size of a small car and said that it was flying at an altitude of 40,000ft and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight. President Biden ordered the military to down the object following the recommendation of the Pentagon.
The US government is confident that the manufacturer of the Chinese balloon had a direct relationship with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and will seek to take action against individuals or companies linked with the PLA that supported the flight of the spy balloon. However, the White House has not specified what measures are under consideration. The FBI is currently investigating the incident and has obtained only limited physical evidence so far.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has described the flight of the Chinese balloon as yet another sign of Beijing's efforts to reshape the international order. She called the act irresponsible and said that it put on full display China's growing aggression.
This recent incident is a testament to the growing tensions between the US and China. The US government has expressed concerns over China's military activities and has stated that it will take action to expose and address China's larger surveillance activities that pose a threat to the national security of the US as well as its allies and partners.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.