Aircraft returned to Kiev after refueling: Iran

KABUL (Pajhwok): An Iranian official on Tuesday denied the hijacking of a Ukrainian evacuation plane into the country from Kabul.

“This plane landed at Mashhad airport yesterday for refueling. After refueling, it left for Ukraine and arrived at Kiev airport at 21:50,” said the Civil Aviation Organisation spokesman.

Iranian media outlets quoted Abas Aslani as saying the claim regarding the plane hijack into the country was incorrect.

Meanwhile, Ukraine also retracted its allegation. Oleg Nikolenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, said: “There are no captured Ukrainian planes in Kabul or elsewhere.

“Information about the captured plane that is being circulated by some media outlets is not true,” Ukraine news agency RBC quoted him as saying.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Yenin said the plane had arrived in Afghanistan evacuate stranded Ukrainians had been hijacked.

PAN Monitor/mud

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