Uzbekistan says its armed forces have shot down an Afghan military plane after the aircraft illegally entered the Central Asian nation's airspace.
An Uzbek Defense Ministry official said on August 16 that the anti-aircraft defense forces "prevented an illegal crossing into Uzbekistan's air boundaries by a military plane from Afghanistan" the previous day in the Sherobod district of the southern Surxondaryo region.
According to the ministry, two Afghan pilots survived and are currently in hospital in serious condition. There were no reports of other casualties.
The statement came after Taliban militants took control of Kabul causing a mass exodus from the Afghan capital.
Hundreds of Afghans, including soldiers and local police, have reportedly fled into other neighboring Central Asian countries in recent weeks as Taliban forces seized power in many provinces, especially in the northern border regions.
Tashkent Says It Shot Down Afghan Air Force Jet Over Uzbek Airspace
Authorities in Tashkent say they shot down the Afghan Air Force plane to prevent "an illegal crossing" into Uzbek airspace. (file photo)