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rising tensions
US fighter jets intercept two Russian bombers off Alaskan coast
The US planes intercepted the Russian bombers and helped escort them back.
THE US MILITARY said it intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace off Alaska’s coast.
Navy Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said a pair of F-22 Raptor aircraft intercepted the Russian TU-95 Bear bombers yesterday.
Ross said that the intercept was “safe and professional.”
North American Aerospace Defense Command monitors air approaches to North America and defends the airspace.
Fox News said today the Russian planes flew within 160 kilometers of Alaska’s Kodiak Island.
It said the American jets escorted the Russian bombers for 12 minutes. The bombers then flew back to eastern Russia.
Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who served with the Air Force, told CNN that it was a “rejuvenation of the Cold War” and that it was a “show of force” by the Russians.
He added that there was little need for the US to worry, as its military force is far stronger than Russia’s.
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