US to remove remnants of China’s spy bubble
The CNN report, citing an unnamed senior US military official, claims US Navy and Coast Guard teams will begin work to remove debris after the Chinese “spy balloon” was shot down yesterday by a missile fired from a US Army F-22 fighter jet.
The official said that the debris that fell into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina within the limits of US territorial waters, descended to a depth of 47 feet, contrary to what was expected to fall deeper, therefore it would be easier to remove the debris.
Noting that “skilled navy divers” will be submerged in the ocean for the operation in question, the official said “unmanned boats” may also be used to remove the wreckage.
The senior official said the crew did not know how long it would take to recover any equipment from the downed balloon, but that it would happen “relatively soon.”
He noted that he had an expectation that the process would not take “months or weeks.”
TRUMP DENIED THE CLAIMS
After US Department of Defense officials announced that a Chinese “spy balloon” had entered US airspace at least 3 times before, former President Donald Trump and his team claimed such a thing had never happened. happened during his administration.
Speaking to Fox News Digital on the subject, Trump said: “Such a thing never happened, could never happen.” saying.
Expressing that “Beijing has great respect for them,” Trump said: “If such an incident had occurred, we would have shot down the balloon immediately.” he said.
The former president claimed that the statements in question were “disinformation” and claimed that the Joe Biden administration spread this misinformation “because they were incompetent.”
Trump-era White House national security adviser John Bolton also stated that he was unaware of such an event during his tenure. Bolton defended the view that the Biden administration should notify Congress if there are clear examples on this issue.
CHINA “Spy Balloon” TRIP
The Chinese high-altitude balloon, which the United States suspects is for intelligence purposes and China says is used for weather research, first entered US airspace over Alaska on January 28.
Moving south, the balloon entered Canadian airspace on January 30 and then reappeared in US airspace on January 31, over the northern border of the United States, over the state of Idaho. It was determined that the balloon performed a southerly maneuver on February 1 and passed over some sensitive military installations in the state of Montana, including long-range missile depots.
The balloon was first seen on civilian cameras on February 1, and Biden was briefed on the issue the same day. Biden ordered the Defense Department to “destroy as soon as possible” the balloon that was supposed to collect intelligence for China, but officials did not publicly comment on the balloon flying over the skies of the United States.
“The United States government has detected a surveillance balloon high over the continental United States and is currently tracking it,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said on February 1. he made the statement.
The balloon, which was detected on February 3 over Kansas and Missouri, was reflected on civilian cameras. The first statement came from China. China, which owns the balloon, claimed that it is a civil aircraft, used for meteorological research, and that it accidentally entered US airspace when it was blown by the winds.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken announced that he has postponed his planned visit to Beijing from February 5-6 due to the balloon incident. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said: “The presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of international law, as well as our sovereignty, and is unacceptable.” she made the statement.
On the same day, the US Department of Defense announced that they were evaluating another Chinese spy balloon flying over Latin America.
Biden said on Saturday, February 4, that they would “take care” of the globe. Biden stated that the balloon is expected to go through a suitable route so as not to harm anyone to be hit.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stopped takeoffs and landings from 3 airports in the states of North Carolina and South Carolina “to support the security efforts of the Department of Defense.”
Then the “spy balloon”, said to be “the size of 3 school buses” and flying at an altitude of 60,000 feet, was launched over the Atlantic Ocean at 2:39 p.m. local time by a missile fired from the US. US Army F-22 fighter jet. (AA)