Iran fighters force US aircraft down; Pentagon Denies

[StevenOtero]

Iran fighters force US aircraft down; Pentagon Denies

AFP (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081007/twl-iran-fighters-force-us-aircraft-down-3cd7efd.html)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iranian fighter jets have forced an aircraft carrying US troops to land in Iran after it entered its air space without permission, the Fars news agency said on Tuesday.

“After a day’s interrogation, it emerged that the aircraft did not enter Iran intentionally and it was allowed to leave for Afghanistan.”

State television said that the aircraft carrying the soldiers was a non-American civilian plane.

“This plane was not a military plane and did not belong to the United States,” an unnamed official was quoted as saying by the website of the television’s Arabic-language Al-Alam channel.

“But a few US military soldiers were in the plane,” the official added.

The plane was forced to land in Iran on Sunday and allowed to fly to Afghanistan on Monday, the website added

[BrAinPaiNt]

I read something about this earlier this morning and found it bizarre.

[StevenOtero]

Seems like the U.S. is trying to sweep it under the rug.

[BrAinPaiNt]

Seems like the U.S. is trying to sweep it under the rug.

I found it bizarre that if it was such a big deal, why did Iran let them go.

I don't think it was a hush hush spy or military thing by the US...it is just bizarre.

[JBond]

Here is the real story.


Officials: Plane Forced to Land in Iran Was Hungarian
Tuesday , October 07, 2008



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A plane forced to land in Iran after it accidentally entered Iranian airspace was a Hungarian aid plane, and not a U.S. aircraft as originally reported Tuesday by a state news agency, FOX News confirmed.

The semi-official Fars news agency in Iran reported Tuesday that a U.S. Military plane with American personnel on board was forced to land there.

But the U.S. Defense Department told FOX News that there was no evidence that the Iranian reports were true and was looking into the incident.

"We're looking into the various and conflicting reports coming from the Iranian "news" agencies, but do not have any information at this time that would lead us to believe they are correct," National Security spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

"The Iran news agency is sending mixed signals," White House press secretary Dana Perino added. "There was no U.S. aircraft involved."

Iran also denied the reports.

The aircraft was a Hungarian aid plane with no Americans on board, a senior Iranian official told FOX News' Amy Kellogg in Tehran, adding that the incident took place on Sept. 30.

Fars reported that Iranian fighters guided the plane to an Iranian airport, where the passengers were questioned and released a day later.

Click here to read more on the Memri Iranian Media Blog.

FOXNews' Jennifer Griffin, Amy Kellogg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.




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[burmafrd]

And of course FOX is the one that cleared it up.