Afghan combat aircraft crashes in Uzbekistan in wake of fall of Kabul

An Afghan combat aircraft crashed in the south of neighbouring Uzbekistan late on Sunday.

The aircraft was hit by an air defence system while illegally crossing the border, the Uzbekistan Ministry of Defence said on Monday, according to Uzbek media.

The accident happened after the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The Uzbek news portal Gazeta.uz reported that the plane crashed in the province of Surkhandarya for reasons that are still unclear.

Two pilots were able to save themselves with a parachute and were taken to hospital, the news portal said.

It was unclear whether they were trying to escape from the Taliban or if there was another reason the plane was flying over Uzbekistan.