Syria says it shot down US Predator drone lost in northwest province

In this file photo from Jan. 7, 2012, an MQ-1 Predator drone flies over the Southern California Logistics Airport, formerly George Air Force Base, in Victorville, Calif.
Effrain Lopez/U.S. Air Force

By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR

The Associated Press

Published: March 17, 2015

WASHINGTON — An unarmed U.S. Predator drone aircraft went down in Syria, but it's not clear whether it was shot down as claimed by the Syrian government, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Syria's SANA state news agency said Tuesday that the country's air defenses shot down a U.S. drone in a northwestern province along the Mediterranean coast.

A U.S. defense official said U.S. military controllers lost contact with an MQ-1 Predator over northwest Syria. The official said there was no information to corroborate the claim that it had been shot down.

“We can confirm that at approximately 1:40 p.m. EDT today, U.S. military controllers lost contact with an U.S. MQ-1 Predator unarmed remotely piloted aircraft operating over northwest Syria. At this time, we have no information to corroborate press reports that the aircraft was shot down. We are looking into the incident and will provide more details when available,” the Pentagon said in a statement late Tuesday.

The SANA state news agency said the aircraft was downed north of the coastal city of Latakia. It provided no further details. State television broadcast footage of what it said was the wreckage, including a wheel and electronic parts. Soldiers in camouflage could be seen loading some of the debris into the back of a truck.

The U.S. official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

U.S. drones are operated over Syria to provide reconnaissance of certain parts of the country.

If confirmed, it would be the first American aircraft to go down over Syria since the U.S. expanded its aerial campaign against the Islamic State extremist group to the country in September. A Jordanian jet crashed near the northern Syrian city of Raqqa in December. The Islamic State group captured the pilot and later burned him alive.