American Drone Crash in Pakistan - 2002-05-18

The police in Pakistan report that an American spy drone has crashed near a military base used by U.S. forces in central Pakistan. According to the police, the drone crashed today in a field near Jacobabad Air Base. The cause of the crash is unknown, and American officials have not yet commented on the incident. Since the U.S. began using these types of drones, known as Predators, several have crashed in the region during the war against terrorists. U.S. forces utilize some bases in Pakistan to conduct missions in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, hundreds of coalition forces continue to search eastern Afghanistan for al-Qaeda and Taliban hideouts. The operation, known as Operation Eagle, led by Britain, is primarily taking place in Paktia province, as officials state that a significant number of al-Qaeda and Taliban forces are hiding in this province. According to a U.S. military spokesperson, early Friday, about 10 individuals believed to be militant Islamists were killed in an airstrike by American fighter jets in northern Khost. The spokesperson dismissed previous reports of an attack on a village that was allegedly celebrating a wedding by firing celebratory gunfire and was subsequently targeted in an airstrike.