U.S. Military Shoots Down Iranian Drone

Unmanned Craft's Incursion Into Iraqi Territory Last Month Revealed; Also, U.S. Troop Fatally Injured In Baghdad

(AP)  U.S. jets shot down an Iranian unmanned surveillance aircraft last month over Iraqi territory about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

A U.S. statement said the Ababil 3 was tracked for more than an hour before U.S. jets shot it down "well-inside Iraqi airspace." The statement said the aircraft's presence over Iraqi airspace "was not an accident."

An Iraqi official said the Iranian aircraft went down near the Iraqi border town of Mandali. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

The U.S. has frequently accused the Iranians of supplying weapons, training and money to Shiite extremist groups opposed to the U.S. military presence and to the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.

Iran has denied links to militant groups inside Iraq and says the instability in this country is due to the U.S. "occupation."

Also Monday, a U.S. soldier was fatally injured during combat operations in the capital, the U.S. said in a statement. No further details were released.

It was the first combat death reported by the U.S. military in Baghdad this month and the first among U.S. forces nationwide since March 7 when a soldier was killed in the Tikrit area.

U.S. casualties have dropped sharply since Iraqi soldiers and police have taken a greater role in security. President Barack Obama has pledged to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by September 2010.

American combat troops are due to leave bases in Baghdad and other cities by June 30 under an agreement that provides for all U.S. forces to leave the country by the end of 2011.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told The Associated Press on Sunday that U.S. troops may stay in some areas that are not completely secure even after the June 30 date.

He did not identify those areas, but U.S. and Iraqi troops are still trying to secure Mosul, the country's third-largest city where al Qaeda and other Sunni militant groups remain active.

Meanwhile, residents of the Kurdish town of Halabja marked the 21st anniversary of the March 16-17 poison gas attack by Saddam Hussein's forces against Kurdish separatists.

The 1988 attack killed thousands of people and was the biggest use of chemical weapons against a civilian populated area in history.

Local officials and victims' relatives placed wreaths on a monument to the dead.

"The anniversary has become etched in the memory of many people," said Aras Abbadi, who lost 21 relatives in the attack. "Every year, we wait for the anniversary and condemn that deplorable attack committed by a dictatorial regime against its own people."

Another participant, Mariam Saleh, 59, pointed to a photograph on display that shows a truck full of victims.

"My family was in that truck," she wept.

[ironmanu77]

They shot a purported Iranian drone to vilify the Iranian regime. It is also provoking Iran to take offensive steps to counterattack any enemy's tactics which would undermine Iran's new role in its co-operation with the Obama administration, and to completely derail the peace process.

[jwesel1]

It's really quite simple. Iran was flying over someone else's country. We haven't done that.
That would be the difference between their "spying", and our "protecting the security of the country".
If the concept is too hard for you to understand - grow a brain.
Posted by speakinup at 2:39 PM : Mar 16, 2009
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US has been flying drones over Pakistan, so much for "we haven't done that". Maybe you need to grow a head

[toolmangler-2009]

You DemoCrotches need to WISE UP!!! We got enough problems without you F'rs lieing about republicans and stealing our money!!!

By the way, We probly tracked that drone long before it came into Iraqi air space.
Posted by YZStillAlive at 7:04 AM : Mar 17, 2009




Listen, yutz. read the article and you will see that we already know this junk. It has nothing to do with WMD's, It has to do with the shrub wanting a war to boost the econmy. He also wanted to take out Saddam because he threatened his Daddy (Bush Sr). He also wanted to finish a job that he felt his Daddy had stopped to soon on. This was an 'Ego' trip for the shrub and he pulled congress (Repblican controlled and run) and us into a totally wrong war for the wrong (oil) reasons. He killed thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousand of the Mid east peoples for the wrong reasons
(greed).

[YZStillAlive]

You DemoCrotches are the F'n Morons!!!
You can make up as many excuses for the Damn Iranians you want. For the life of me I can't understand why? but, The fact remains that they are Dangerous! They want to destroy another people's country! They Chant Death to America! Among other bad things... How could a US citizen take up for those Bastards?
If you want to ***** about somebody, Why don't you F'rs ***** about that damn Obama? HUH?
He's not going to keep any of the promises that he lied to everyone about during the campain. He's not going to be very popular for very long, anyone can see that. What is his approval raiting now anyway, HUH?
How does it feel to have that SOB taking YOUR money and give it to all those rich F'rs??? The same rich F'rs that lost most of everybodys retierment... Truth be known, You DemoCrotches helped it happen the whole way... You're still helping today...
DemoCrotches talk about the war in Iraq being a lie? Saddam's flunkies got those bombs out of the country before we got there, that doesn't mean they didn't have them??? We know they had'em. "THEY USED THEM ON THERE OWN PEOPLE!!!" Have you F'rs forgot that?
You can't even trust the news media. DemoCrotches! It's ok for them to lie and cheat the truth to get the F'rs in office, then they want to blame republicans for problems that they can't handle. This economy was screwed up long before Bush came in to office. Bush didn't cause this economy, Clinton did... Bush didn't cause 9-11. Bin-Ladden caused the US to go to war with Al-Qiada. Then Iraq was also a threat to us, especialy over there.
The intell might have been bad, but it wasn't wrong, it was just late.

You DemoCrotches need to WISE UP!!! We got enough problems without you F'rs lieing about republicans and stealing our money!!!

By the way, We probly tracked that drone long before it came into Iraqi air space.

[dougnshannon]

If Iran were to shoot down one of these satellites operating only a hundred miles or so above its territory, would this be-- for Iran-- "protecting the security of the country"?
Posted by alphaa10000 at 8:42 PM : Mar 16, 2009
************************************************
it's doubtfull Iran's giant slingshot capability could launch anything with real accuracy to hit a satellite...

[jackp32]

Way to go. Let'em have both barrels right between the eyes.

[tincup356]

If we are REALLY in financial straits.......why are we dumping 10 BILLION a month into the two LIE wars?..........Osama Bin Laden has NEVER been charged with ANY crime related to 911..........and the ONLY weapon of mass destruction in Iraq,,,,,,,the cost of US being there and rebuilding what has been blown up....................Our country is going to go broke because Americans have listened to LIES....and continues to.

[toolmangler-2009]

Don't let facts get in the way of a good "hate the US" rant! What a buzz kill!
Posted by Questionews at 1:30 PM : Mar 16, 2009





Thowwy, my mythtake

[speakinup]

"And, of course, the US isn't using any kind of surveillance on Iran... How come when they do it, it's "spying", and when we do it, it's "protecting the security of our country"?
Posted by mgkonyx at 12:02 PM : Mar 16, 2009


It's really quite simple. Iran was flying over someone else's country. We haven't done that.

That would be the difference between their "spying", and our "protecting the security of the country".

If the concept is too hard for you to understand - grow a brain.

[Questionews]

BIG DEAL, FIRST LET US ASK
HOW IN THE HELLL DOES THE UNITED STATES,
THE COUNTRY OF THE MISSING "WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION",
KNOW IT WAS AN IRANIAN DRONE????
Posted by pythoncharly at 11:05 AM : Mar 16, 2009


Because we have had it for a "MONTH"!!!!

"U.S. jets shot down an Iranian unmanned surveillance aircraft last month over Iraqi territory about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. "

sssshhhheeeeeeessshhhh!!!!!!!
Posted by toolmangler-2009 at 11:58 AM : Mar 16, 2009

Don't let facts get in the way of a good "hate the US" rant! What a buzz kill!