Pakistani Media Widely Cover Reports About US Drone Capture

Islamabad, Dec 6, IRNA – Pakistani media on Wednesday gave wide coverage to the reports about capturing of US drone by Iran. Daily ‘Dawn’ said that Iran captured a US drone that penetrated its airspace over Gulf waters. “The naval arm of Iranian Revolutionary Guards said in a statement on the Guards’ website Sepahnews.com that “the unmanned US drone patrolling Persian Gulf waters, performing reconnaissance and gathering intelligence, was captured as soon as it entered Iranian airspace”, said the report. Daily ‘The News’ reported that Iran successfully captures American drone. It said the guards’ naval force, tasked with guarding Iranian assets in the Gulf, said the drone was a Boeing-made ScanEagle, a short-range, propellor-driven surveillance vehicle with a three-metre wingspan that is typically launched from ships and which can fly up to 100 kilometres. Exactly a year ago, on December 4, Iran captured a much bigger and more sophisticated CIA stealth drone, a bat-winged RQ-170 Sentinel. Daily ‘The Nation’ said that Iran has captured a small US drone that penetrated its airspace over Gulf waters. Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi told state television Iran would protest the incident in international bodies. “We had officially warned the Americans against violating our territory. Unfortunately they did not listen, and the Guards managed to catch the US drone,” Salehi said. “The captured drone is proof to be used to follow up the American violation at international bodies,” Salehi said. ‘Express Tribune’ said that Iran has captured a Scan Eagle drone, a small unmanned surveillance aircraft often used by the US Navy. It said its Revolutionary Guards’ naval arm caught the drone in Iranian airspace over Gulf waters. Last year, Iran had downed a stealth drone belonging to the US. ‘Daily Times’ reported that, “The unmanned US drone patrolling Persian Gulf waters, performing reconnaissance and gathering intelligence, was captured as soon as it entered Iranian airspace,” the unit’s naval force command said in a statement on Guards website, Sepahnews.com. It said that Iran’s foreign ministry said last week the United States had violated Iranian airspace eight times in October, and warned of a “serious reaction” if such incursions continued. Daily ‘Business Recorder’ said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said on its website that the drone had been flying over the Gulf in the last few days and was 'captured' when it strayed into Iranian airspace. ‘Pakistan Observer’ in its report said that Iran captured a U.S. intelligence drone in its airspace over the Gulf. “The ScanEagle is a 4-ft (1.25-metre) long “off the shelf” spy plane manufactured by U.S.-based Boeing,” the report said. Radio Pakistan on its website reported that that Iran's state television quoted navy chief of Iranian Revolutionary Guard‚ General Ali Fadavi‚ as saying the Iranian forces caught the intruding drone‚ which had apparently taken off from a US aircraft carrier. Daily ‘Jang’ reported that Iran successfully brought done a US drone in Persian Gulf./end