US Spy Drone Crashes in Somalia Refugee Camp

Crash Destroyed Makeshift Hut, No Injuries Reported

by Jason Ditz, February 03, 2012

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What appears to be a US spy drone has crashed into the Badbado refugee camp in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu. The drone, reportedly being used for surveillance, destroyed a makeshift shelter constructed by refugees.
Officials said they hadn’t yet confirmed that it was a US drone, but the US is the only nation that flies drones in Somali airspace. US-backed African Union troops recovered the drone’s wreckage.
There were no injuries in the crash. A police officer with the self-proclaimed Somali government said a similar surveillance drone crashed into a home just outside the camp last year.
US drones have been used for both surveillance and targeted assassinations inside Somalia over the past several months. Officials have suggested that the US drone presence is likely to grow in the future, as more drones will be operating in both Somalia and nearby Yemen.

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