A suspected US drone crashed in tribal area near the Afghan border Sunday, a rare mishap for a programme Washington has increasingly relied on to kill Taliban and al Qaida militants, said intelligence officials and a local resident.
Local tribesman in North Waziristan were congratulating each other for shooting down the drone, said resident Saudur Rehman. But the army rejected similar claims after a drone crashed in neighbouring South Waziristan in 2008, saying it was a technical problem.
"I saw that the aircraft was coming down and finally crashed in an open area a distance from me," said Rehman, who indicated he heard gunfire just before the crash. "Tribesmen are celebrating and congratulating each other for shooting it down." The crash occurred around 6 pm in the Hamdhoni area of North Waziristan, some 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) north-west of the main town of Miran Shah, said two intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.
Comments
Comments are closed.