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OPERATION DESERT ORB? Video of UFO over Mosul revealed for first time

The image, captured in April 2016 by an intelligence-reconnaissance plane, shows a mysterious object flying over the city of Mosul in northern Iraq

WASHINGTON, DC: The US military has reportedly been investigating a suspicious image of an unidentified ‘metallic-looking orb’ captured by a spy plane flying over an active conflict zone in Iraq. The image was presented to several US government agencies as part of a classified briefing video on UFOs.

As per official records, the image, captured in April 2016 by an intelligence-reconnaissance plane, shows a mysterious object flying over the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. The classified briefing video described it as a "short clip of an unidentified flying orb that appears to have a metallic shine on its surface", according to Daily Mail. The briefing video was produced by the Pentagon's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF), a unit tasked with investigating UFO incidents. This is the first time that an official image from the US government's ongoing UFO investigation has been revealed to the public.

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The suspicious image was obtained by journalists Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp, who shared it on their new UFO podcast, 'Weaponized'. The briefing described the object moving from south to north but noted that it didn't change altitude. In a four-second video titled 'Mosul Orb', the object appeared for one second as it flew right across an MC-12 spy plane. The orb does not appear to have any obvious propulsion or apparent flying features like wings. As per DailyMail, the investigators who produced the briefing video believe that the object was under 'intelligent control'. However, the officials have been working on the image for six years now but still haven’t managed to explain the incident.

The outlet further noted that the case was evaluated in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) Preliminary Assessment on UFOs, a report which analyzed 144 cases and found an explanation for just one. The first part of the report was released in May 2021 while the second was released in January 2023. One source of the outlet, who reviewed the report said numerous footage of metallic-looking orbs obtained by US surveillance planes or drones in the Middle East is included in the study. These videos were reportedly stored on classified servers.

Reflecting on the latest suspicious image, Corbell said the mysterious object captured in Iraq is similar to numerous orbs encountered by naval aviators operating on the US east and west coast every day. "For the first time, we are releasing a military-filmed image of a UAP over an active conflict zone," Corbell said on his podcast. "This is an entirely different scenario to the east and west Coast incursions over training ranges."

"UAP [unidentified anomalous phenomena] pose a significant risk to our service men and women, and this case highlights this – and is unfortunately not unique," he continued. "This is not just about safety concerns to pilots and ground troops. Its potential consequences are far deeper. And the scope is now proven to be global." Corbell added that officials don’t know where these UFOs are coming from but they definitely know that these objects are appearing with an increased frequency worldwide.

"UAP, at minimum, pose a fundamental intelligence and combat identification problem that must be addressed," the podcaster said. "It's time to acknowledge the UFO problem, and I am hopeful that ARRO and its stakeholders will dedicate robust resources to this enduring mystery on behalf of the American and global public." Corbell and Knapp said they will be releasing information, photos, and videos in the podcast that they have been holding for 'years'.