The Pentagon said that it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States that could be surveilling highly sensitive nuclear weapons sites. A senior US defense official told AFP that top military officials considered shooting the balloon down but did not execute the same fearing that it may endanger many people on the ground.
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The balloon is said to be flying over the northwest region of US where there are sensitive airbases and strategic missiles, AFP reported quoting an unnamed official who said, “Clearly, the intent of this balloon is for surveillance, and the current flight path does carry it over a number of sensitive sites. We assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective.”
The balloon entered US airspace “a couple days ago,” the official added.
