dan9999
01-25-2010, 01:18 PM
Suspected drone down in Pakistan
By Reza Sayah, CNN
January 25, 2010 1:30 a.m. EST
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A suspected U.S. drone crashed in Pakistan's tribal region, a Pakistani intelligence official told CNN.
The unmanned aircraft went down about 8 p.m. (10 a.m. ET) Sunday night near the village of Hamzoni in North Waziristan, the official said. Hamzoni is about 5 km (3 miles) west of Miran Shah, a town well-known for Taliban and al Qaeda activity.
The official said he did not know whether the aircraft was shot down or if it crashed because of mechanical problems. He asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
It was the second reported crash of a U.S. drone in Pakistan. In September 2008, Pakistani officials said a drone went down on the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan, near Jalal village in the Angoor Adda region of South Waziristan.
U.S. officials and the military denied that account.
In a statement at the time, Combined Joint Task Force 101 in Afghanistan said, "We had a report of a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that crashed in Paktika province ... the aircraft went down as a result of engine issues and was recovered immediately after it went down. The recovery site was within Afghanistan, about 60 miles west of the border."
By Reza Sayah, CNN
January 25, 2010 1:30 a.m. EST
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A suspected U.S. drone crashed in Pakistan's tribal region, a Pakistani intelligence official told CNN.
The unmanned aircraft went down about 8 p.m. (10 a.m. ET) Sunday night near the village of Hamzoni in North Waziristan, the official said. Hamzoni is about 5 km (3 miles) west of Miran Shah, a town well-known for Taliban and al Qaeda activity.
The official said he did not know whether the aircraft was shot down or if it crashed because of mechanical problems. He asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
It was the second reported crash of a U.S. drone in Pakistan. In September 2008, Pakistani officials said a drone went down on the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan, near Jalal village in the Angoor Adda region of South Waziristan.
U.S. officials and the military denied that account.
In a statement at the time, Combined Joint Task Force 101 in Afghanistan said, "We had a report of a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that crashed in Paktika province ... the aircraft went down as a result of engine issues and was recovered immediately after it went down. The recovery site was within Afghanistan, about 60 miles west of the border."