Pakistan recovers wreckage of suspected US spy drone
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A SUSPECTED US pilotless drone has crashed in the northwestern Pakistani region of South Waziristan after a spate of missile attacks by unmanned US aircraft in Pakistan strained ties between the allies.
Pakistan has said US missile attacks and one US ground assault are a violation of its sovereignty and the army has vowed to defend Pakistani territory.
President Asif Ali Zardari met US President George W Bush in New York on Tuesday and spoke strongly about protecting Pakistani sovereignty, Bush said.
Pakistani news channels said early on Wednesday a US-operated drone had come down near the border village of Angor Adda, where US commandos launched a raid on Sept 3.
The Pakistani military confirmed that a pilotless aircraft had come down but did not identify it as American. Other countries with forces in Afghanistan have not been known to operate drones over Pakistani territory.
"A surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle while flying over Pak-Afghan border yesterday night crash landed, on this side of the border ... apparently due to malfunctioning," the army said in a statement.
"The wreckage ... has been recovered."
American officials earlier denied that the US had lost any drones: "No such thing occurred," said one.
Bush did not speak about the recent US attacks into Pakistan but he said Zardari had made a strong point about Pakistan's sovereignty.
"Your words have been very strong about Pakistan's sovereign right and sovereign duty to protect your country, and the United States wants to help," Bush said before their talks.
Pakistan's support is regarded as crucial both to the success of Western forces trying to stabilise Afghanistan and in the fight against al-Qaeda.
Zardari is close to the United States and has stressed the need to root out terrorism, but many Pakistanis oppose the US-led campaign against militancy.
Pakistan's stance was set out clearly by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at a news conference in Islamabad.
"We will not tolerate the violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity by anyone in the name of combating terrorism," Gilani said. Residents and Pakistani security officials have reported troops firing on US helicopters in recent days, forcing them to turn back to Afghanistan. US officials have dismissed the reports and said no helicopters had taken fire.
Militants and ethnic Pashtun tribesmen regularly fire at drones with rifles, residents on the border say, but they have not been known to have brought one down.
According to earlier news reports, some tribesmen had claimed to have shot down the drone late on Tuesday but a security force officer said the aircraft had not been hit by ground fire.
"The body of the plane is intact and there are no bullet holes," said the unidentified officer. He said it was a small US drone. "It's American. It's theirs, no one else flies drones there," the security force officer said. Reuters
Pakistan has said US missile attacks and one US ground assault are a violation of its sovereignty and the army has vowed to defend Pakistani territory.
President Asif Ali Zardari met US President George W Bush in New York on Tuesday and spoke strongly about protecting Pakistani sovereignty, Bush said.
Pakistani news channels said early on Wednesday a US-operated drone had come down near the border village of Angor Adda, where US commandos launched a raid on Sept 3.
The Pakistani military confirmed that a pilotless aircraft had come down but did not identify it as American. Other countries with forces in Afghanistan have not been known to operate drones over Pakistani territory.
"A surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle while flying over Pak-Afghan border yesterday night crash landed, on this side of the border ... apparently due to malfunctioning," the army said in a statement.
"The wreckage ... has been recovered."
American officials earlier denied that the US had lost any drones: "No such thing occurred," said one.
Bush did not speak about the recent US attacks into Pakistan but he said Zardari had made a strong point about Pakistan's sovereignty.
"Your words have been very strong about Pakistan's sovereign right and sovereign duty to protect your country, and the United States wants to help," Bush said before their talks.
Pakistan's support is regarded as crucial both to the success of Western forces trying to stabilise Afghanistan and in the fight against al-Qaeda.
Zardari is close to the United States and has stressed the need to root out terrorism, but many Pakistanis oppose the US-led campaign against militancy.
Pakistan's stance was set out clearly by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at a news conference in Islamabad.
"We will not tolerate the violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity by anyone in the name of combating terrorism," Gilani said. Residents and Pakistani security officials have reported troops firing on US helicopters in recent days, forcing them to turn back to Afghanistan. US officials have dismissed the reports and said no helicopters had taken fire.
Militants and ethnic Pashtun tribesmen regularly fire at drones with rifles, residents on the border say, but they have not been known to have brought one down.
According to earlier news reports, some tribesmen had claimed to have shot down the drone late on Tuesday but a security force officer said the aircraft had not been hit by ground fire.
"The body of the plane is intact and there are no bullet holes," said the unidentified officer. He said it was a small US drone. "It's American. It's theirs, no one else flies drones there," the security force officer said. Reuters
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