Santa sled fireball
TEHRAN (Dec 24)-The Iranian News Agency is claiming that the Doshan Tapeh Air Base commander has reported one of it's newly aquired Russian SA-15 anti-aircraft missile defense batteries engaged and shot down the Santa Claus reindeer propelled flying sled over Northern Iran today. The target was tracked on radar for 10 minutes before the order to fire was given by the regional air defense commander
Witnesses report seeing the SA-15 streak skyward erupting in a brilliant flash and then a giant fireball plummeting to the earth. The fireball was captured on film.
The smoldering wreckage was discovered in the mountainous region of Mazandaran Province, just south of the Caspian Sea.
The crash site had been looted by local village children leaving only scraps of colorful paper wraps and ribbon amid a large impact crater.
There were no signs of a survivor. Villagers reported a large pack of wolves carried off the reindeer remains.
A NORAD command spokesperson at Peterson Air Force Base answered "no comment" when asked if Santa had yet to appear on US radar. An unnamed senior radar specialist commented, "In all the years I've been doing this I've never seen Santa fail to show up on radar. I fear something dreadful has happened".
Doshan Tapeh Air Base Commander, Rashaii Albukaala discusses the missile incident on Memri TV.
December 24th, 2005
