Takala Afghanistan Flying Saucer Landing
In January 1956, the Governor of Kataghan Province reported that a fifteen-metre metal flying saucer with glass windows landed near Takala in northern Afghanistan. US cables indicated planned recovery to Kabul; no follow-up was recorded.
Background
The Report
In January 1956, the Governor of Kataghan Province in northern Afghanistan formally reported to the central government that a metal flying saucer, estimated at fifteen metres in diameter and fitted with glass windows, had landed near the village of Takala. The incident was reported up the chain to the Afghan government and, in parallel, to the US Embassy in Kabul.
US Cables
Declassified US State Department and Air Force cables from the period indicate that plans were drawn up to assist the Afghans in transporting the object to Kabul for examination. What happened after that point is unclear: no follow-up documentation has been released confirming recovery, analysis or disposition.
Possible Soviet Recovery
Given the geopolitical context — Afghanistan in 1956 sat on the border of Soviet influence, and the Tajik SSR was directly to the north — researchers including Coulthart have speculated that the craft, if it existed, may have been recovered by the USSR rather than the United States. The case remains one of the most intriguing early Cold War crash reports from the Global South.