Did Afghanistan Give Iran Downed U.S. Drone?...

[paulitician]

The CIA’s RQ-170 “Sentinel” drone captured by the Iranians last week may have gone down in Afghanistan and then transported to Iran by friendly forces on the ground, a former officer in the elite Quds Force branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards told The Daily Caller.

The United States has never acknowledged that the drone was flying over Iranian airspace — only that ground controllers “lost contact” with the drone and that it probably crashed.

However, photographs and video footage released by the Iranians on Dec. 8, several days after they announced the drone’s capture, clearly show that both wings had been neatly severed and then reattached.

“This suggests that the drone landed safely and that its wings were cut off so it could be transported by truck,” the former Quds Force officer said. “I believe it was captured by the Taliban inside Afghanistan and transferred to the Iranians, who then reattached the wings,” he added.

The United States military has long complained that Iran supplies weapons, explosives, and money to the Taliban. The U.S. has identified camps inside Iran where Taliban fighters are trained.



Read more: US Drone | Down In Afghanistan | Iran | The Daily Caller

 

[waltky]

Mebbe it's a bogus bogey...

Ex-Pentagon official: Captured spy plane seems fake
14 Dec.`11 - The unmanned spy plane recently captured by Iran appears to be a fake, according to a former Pentagon official.

The former official, who saw video footage of the drone on display in Iran, said not only is it the wrong color, but also the welds along the wing joints do not appear to conform to the stealth design that helps it avoid radar detection. The official requested anonymity because he is not authorized to release information on the drone matter. Iran said it managed to gain control of the RQ-170 Sentinel electronically and guide it down as it flew over its airspace.

The former official also questioned why the landing gear was covered up when displayed by the Iranian military. In the footage, the drone's underside is obscured with banners that read: "We'll trample America underfoot" and "The U.S. cannot do a damn thing." Iran TV reported Wednesday that Iranian experts were still recovering data from the Sentinel, which has been used in stealth missions such as the surveillance operation on the Pakistan compound of Osama bin Laden before he was killed in a U.S. raid in May. Another U.S. drone aircraft, the MQ-9, crashed Tuesday at the Seychelles International Airport on the island of Mahe after developing engine problems, the Associated Press reported.

An Iranian member of parliament criticized former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney, who said President Obama should have ordered an airstrike into Iran to destroy the drone and deny Iranians access to its technology. "The Islamic Republic of Iran… can give a crushing response and cut off hands of anyone who wants to violate its air, navy and land borders," Kazem Jalali told ISNA, Iran's state media agency. Jalali also criticized Obama for asking for the return of the drone after sending it to spy on Iran. "This is an astonishing remark by Obama, who has studied law," he said.

Cheney said the Iranians will likely "send (the drone) back in pieces after they've gotten all the intelligence they can out of it." Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he did not believe Iran would agree to the U.S. request but told Fox News that the stealth drone campaign along the Iran-Afghan border would "absolutely" continue. "Our request for return of the drone is an appropriate request," Panetta said. "I don't expect that will happen, but I think it's important to make that request."

Source

 

[hortysir]

Prolly

 

[Zander]

Obama has won the respect of all the tribal peoples of the middle east. He politely genuflected and begged the Iranians to "please return our drone". Those tribal savages really respect that kind of shit.....I am sure that they will comply with Obama's polite request. Here is Obama getting strong with a school age boy.

 

[Contumacious]

The United States has never acknowledged that the drone was flying over Iranian airspace — only that ground controllers “lost contact” with the drone and that it probably crashed.

The US Farce of the Drone​

by Jack D. Douglas

The U.S. Lies about the top-secret U.S. Stealth Drone the Iranians have now put on world display completely intact is typical of the U.S. Big Lies about almost everything important to their Global Empire, obviously including the existence of that U.S. Global Empire. First they denied it in non-denial denials in case the Iranians did have it, then they said it crashed somewhere unknown to the U.S., then they said it must have drifted by malfunction into Iran, then when the Iranians showed the first pictures of it in-tact – not all crumpled up as it would be if it crashed from high altitude malfunction – the U.S. said it was not the right color or size, and finally when it was fully displayed they demanded its return on the presumption that they were not violating international law by spying in this way on Iran.

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[waltky]

Another drone drops outta the sky like a dead bird...

US drone crashes in Seychelles
13 Dec.`11 -- An American military drone that had been used to monitor piracy off the East African coast has crashed at an airport on the island nation of Seychelles during a routine patrol, officials said Tuesday.

The U.S. Embassy in Mauritius said the unmanned U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper was not armed and that the crash caused no injuries. The crash sparked a fire that was quickly extinguished. Lina Laurence of Seychelles' civilian aviation authority said the drone developed engine problems minutes into its flight and needed to land as soon as possible Tuesday morning. "But due to its accelerated landing speed, the aircraft was unable to stop before the runway's end," Laurence said.

The embassy's statement said the cause of the crash is being investigated. "It has been confirmed that this drone was unarmed and its failure was due to mechanical reasons," Laurence said. The affected runway was closed for about 10 minutes as a "precautionary measure," but was later reopened with no disruption to airport operations, Laurence said. The U.S. military and the civilian aviation authority of Seychelles have coordinated to remove the debris, officials said. While U.S. Air Force officials attempt to determine the cause of the crash, initial reports indicate that upon landing the drone failed to stop and ran off the runway into large rocks along the shoreline, U.S. officials said in Washington.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a medium-to-high altitude unmanned aircraft system with sensors that can provide real-time data. The Seychelles-based MQ-9s, which are used to monitor piracy activities in and around the Indian Ocean, don't carry weapons, though they have the capability to do so. Tuesday's crash follows last week's claim by Iran that it seized a drone identified as the RQ-170 Sentinel. Tehran said it was captured over the country's east. The nearly intact drone was displayed on state TV and flaunted as a victory for Iran in a complicated intelligence and technological battle with the U.S.

U.S. officials said the unmanned aircraft malfunctioned and was not brought down by Iran. President Barack Obama said Monday the U.S. wants the top-secret aircraft back and has delivered a formal request for the return of the surveillance drone, though it isn't hopeful that Iran will comply. The U.S. has used drones to hunt down al-Qaida-linked militants in Somalia and Yemen, among other countries. Their humming is a constant feature in the sky in many of the major towns in southern Somalia, especially the capital city and the militant-controlled southern port of Kismayo. It was not clear if drones operated out of the Seychelles are used for that purpose.

Source

 

[Steelplate]

Obama has won the respect of all the tribal peoples of the middle east. He politely genuflected and begged the Iranians to "please return our drone". Those tribal savages really respect that kind of shit.....I am sure that they will comply with Obama's polite request. Here is Obama getting strong with a school age boy.

Now we're back to Obama the Muslim Apologist... Ok... let me know when we're back to Obama the Fascist war hawk, OK? It seems the opinion switches back and forth a couple times a week. Whenever some rightie wants to vomit something he's heard.