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The Department of Defence was tracking the object over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours, Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby during a daily press briefing Friday.
"The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight,” he said.
Upon the Pentagon’s advice, US President Joe Biden ordered the military to shoot down the object, he said.
"We don’t understand the full purpose. We don’t have any information that would confirm a stated purpose for this object,” Kirby added.
The incident comes just days after the US shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon spotted in American airspace off the coast of South Carolina. - BERNAMA