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.