US will continue to work with JIT on downing of MH17 investigation

The United States today reaffirmed its commitment that it will continue to work with the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

The US Department of State spokesperson John Kirby also called on other states that are in a position to assist, to cooperate fully so that those responsible are held accountable.

Yesterday, the Dutch-led JIT concluded in the interim report that MH17 was shot down by a BUK missile which was brought from Russia to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, according to a statement from the team on the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service website, the BUK missile was fired from a farmland near the city of Pervomaiskyi, "which, at the time, was controlled by pro-Russian fighters".

"While nothing can take away the grief of those who lost loved ones on that tragic day, this announcement is another step towards bringing to justice those responsible for this outrageous attack," Kirby said in a statement released by US Embassy in Malaysia, here.

Kirby said the findings corroborated US Secretary of State John Kerry's statement in the days following the tragedy that MH17 was shot down by a BUK surface-to-air missile fired from Russian-backed, separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Malaysia was committed to bringing those responsible for downing MH17 to be brought to justice and there was no two ways about it.

MH17 was shot down while cruising at an altitude of 30,000 feet and crashed in a tense area of Ukraine, near the Russian border.

The Boeing B777 aircraft was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and carrying 298 passengers and crew. It was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all on board.

Last year, Dutch Safety Board chairman Tjibbe Joustra confirmed that MH17 was shot down by a BUK surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine.

The report came out after 15 months of investigation undertaken by a joint investigation team from the Netherlands, Ukraine, Malaysia, Australia, the United Kingdom, US and Russia. -- BERNAMA