An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) crashed in Ghazni province Sunday 29th April, according to the Afghan Islamic Press.
RQ-170-Sentinel was reported to have crashed over western Afghanistan late last week
Taliban, however, claimed to have shot down the aircraft. The Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid told the Afghan Islamic press their fighters had shot down an unmanned aircraft of the foreign forces in Aghojan area, Gilan district, Ghazni province. He said their fighters took wreckage of the aircraft with them. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), when contacted by the AIP, said: “We can confirm that an unmanned aerial vehicle crashed today in Ghazni province. Reports indicate it was due to a mechanical failure and no enemy activity was reported in the area.
If accurate, this would follow a series of ISAF UAV crashes, losses and malfunctions in the area over the last 18 months, the most recent was the downed RQ-170 Sentinel on December 5th 2011 which followed a crash over Kabul on June 27 last year.
The UAV crash did not cause any civilian casualties or property. ISAF forces have recovered the aircraft without incident.
