US releases second batch of declassified UFO files

Published May 23, 2026 Updated May 23, 2026 06:08am

WASHINGTON: The US Defence Department on Friday released a second batch of previously classified files on alleged UFO sightings, including references to people reporting unexplained green orbs, discs and fireballs.

At the order of President Donald Trump, the first batch was made public on May 8. He is the latest president to release US government reports on unidentified flying objects, a disclosure process that began in the late 1970s.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the documents, photos and videos of what are officially known as “unidentified anomalous phenomena” had long fueled speculation.

“It’s time the American people see it for themselves,” he said in a statement.

One of the 222 files released on Friday contains 116 pages of documentation relating to a series of reported sightings and investigations in a top secret facility in Sandia, New Mexico, from 1948 to 1950.

“This file contains 209 sightings of ‘green orbs’, ‘discs’, and ‘fireballs’ reported near the military base,” the Defence Department said.

Experts said the first batch contained new videos of known sightings but gave no conclusive evidence of alien technology or extraterrestrial life.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026

Opinion

Editorial

More stabilisation
Updated 23 May, 2026

More stabilisation

The stabilisation achieved through painful growth compression steps could have been used as a platform for structural reforms.
Appalling tactics
23 May, 2026

Appalling tactics

IN Punjab, an encounter with the law can quickly turn deadly. Encouraged by a culture of ‘shoot first, ask...
Failed experiment
23 May, 2026

Failed experiment

IT is going from bad to worse for Shan Masood and Pakistan. It is now seven successive Test defeats away from home;...
Hardening lines
Updated 22 May, 2026

Hardening lines

Iranian suspicions about Pakistan’s close ties with Washington and Gulf states persist, while Pakistan remains uneasy over Tehran’s growing engagement with India.
Unliveable city
22 May, 2026

Unliveable city

IN Karachi, when it comes to water, it is every man and woman for themselves. A persistent shortage in available...
Glof alert
22 May, 2026

Glof alert

FOR many communities in northern Pakistan, the sound of heavy rain now carries a different meaning. It is no longer...