US offers assistance in investigation of Azerbaijani plane crash in Kazakhstan

US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby has said that the US offered assistance to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near Aktau city.

He made this statement during an online briefing for journalists, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Kirby stated that the US had indeed observed some preliminary signs that strongly suggested the possibility that the plane had been shot down by a Russian air defense system.

He mentioned that an investigation was currently underway, being conducted jointly by Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, and that the US had offered its assistance in the investigation. 

He added that they would respect the process. When asked if the US had any concrete intelligence regarding the plane crash, Kirby responded affirmatively, though he did not provide any further details.

Earlier, Spokesman for the US Department of US Matthew Miller expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the crash near Aktau and stated that the US is ready to offer any necessary assistance to the authorities of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

The crash occurred on December 25, when an Embraer aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, en route from Baku to Grozny, tragically crashed near Aktau. The plane was carrying 67 people, including 37 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, 6 Kazakhs, and 3 Kyrgyz nationals. Sadly, 38 people lost their lives in the crash, with 29 survivors.

By Naila Huseynova