U.S. loses drone in Iraq

WASHINGTON — A U.S. military drone crashed in southern Iraq on Wednesday while it was conducting a surveillance mission against Islamic State fighters, military officials have confirmed.

The drone appears to have been crashed due to mechanical problems, said Army Capt. John Moore, a military spokesman in Kuwait. It was not brought down by fire from Islamic State fighters, said Navy Cdr. Elissa Smith, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

The wreckage of the aircraft and its components have been recovered, he said. Moore declined to describe the forces who retrieved the wreckage or the type of drone it was, citing operational security concerns.

Drones, with their spy cameras and other intelligence-collection devices, function as one of the primary means for directing the airstrikes against Islamic State, or ISIL, targets. The Pentagon and White House have declined to deploy forward air controllers, on-the-ground troops who act as spotters for bombs and missiles.

Drones also have the ability to attack ISIL targets, as they did on Friday. Along with fighter aircraft and bombers, they conducted 20 bombing runs in Iraq and four bombing runs in Syria.

The demand for intelligence gathered by drones to locate targets for airstrikes and spy on insurgents has outstripped the supply. Drones are flying missions around the world, including in Afghanistan where they watch over about 10,000 U.S. troops.

The Air Force flies about 65 round-the-clock patrols with drones, which include the Predator and its larger, more lethal cousin, the Reaper.

In March, the Air Force lost a Predator drone in Syria. Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad shot the slow-flying aircraft down after it strayed into airspace off limits to the U.S.-led coalition that is hitting ISIL targets there.

More often than not, however, drones are lost because of mechanical problems or bad weather, said Loren Thompson, a defense industry consultant and military analyst with the Lexington Institute.