Border incursion: Iran downs US drone, threatens reprisal
The drone "was downed with slight damage", says an unnamed military source.
TEHRAN:
Iran’s military said it shot down a US Army drone inside its territory near the Afghan and Pakistani borders on Sunday, and threatened to retaliate for the violation, Iranian media reported.
The Nato-led military force in Afghanistan said the drone reportedly shot down by Iran “may” belong to the United States.
“The UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) to which the Iranians are referring may be a US unarmed reconnaissance aircraft that had been flying a mission over western Afghanistan late last week,” the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.
Iran’s Al-Alam satellite channel, quoting a military source in Iran’s joint chiefs of staff, said late Sunday that a RQ-170 unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down “a few hours ago.”
The Fars news agency said the drone had made an incursion into Iran’s eastern airspace.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2011.
Iran’s military said it shot down a US Army drone inside its territory near the Afghan and Pakistani borders on Sunday, and threatened to retaliate for the violation, Iranian media reported.
The Nato-led military force in Afghanistan said the drone reportedly shot down by Iran “may” belong to the United States.
“The UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) to which the Iranians are referring may be a US unarmed reconnaissance aircraft that had been flying a mission over western Afghanistan late last week,” the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.
Iran’s Al-Alam satellite channel, quoting a military source in Iran’s joint chiefs of staff, said late Sunday that a RQ-170 unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down “a few hours ago.”
The Fars news agency said the drone had made an incursion into Iran’s eastern airspace.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2011.