A U.S. F-15 jet fighter leaves after an airstrike against Taliban insurgent positions in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province, near the border with Pakistan, August 28, 2011. REUTERS
A US F-15 jet fighter leaves after an airstrike against Taliban  positions in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province, near the border with Pakistan, August 28, 2011.     — File Photo by Reuters

CHICAGO: An F-15 fighter jet was scrambled on two separate occasions Saturday to intercept two single-engine planes that violated a flight ban imposed for President Barack Obama’s visit to his hometown of Chicago, officials said.

Both small aircraft were intercepted “in the vicinity of Chicago,” the first at approximately 1430 GMT and the second at about 2045 GMT, North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement.

Both planes were escorted out of the restricted area without further incident, Norad said.

No details were give about the make of the first aircraft. The second was a Cessna 172.

Obama was in Chicago to spend the weekend there with his family and to attend the wedding of the daughter of Valerie Jarrett, one of his senior advisers.

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