Wednesday, June 12 @ 14:45:49 MYT


TEHRAN, June 12 (AFP) - An unmanned US plane has crashed in a Kurdish province of northwest Iran that borders Iraq, Iranian newspapers reported Wednesday.

"An unmanned American plane has crashed in Iran's Kordestan province," the government-run Iran paper said citing an unnamed "parliamentary source," adding that the incident took place in late May.

"This plane crashed near the town of Qorveh," the source told the paper.

"This aircraft was fitted with a simultaneous transmission camera," the parliamentary source said.

Meanwhile, the reformist Noruz paper, in another unconfirmed report, said an unmanned "foreign airplane crashed in Iran's Kordestan (province) four days ago."

It said the plane crashed into a mountain, adding that "political, security and military officials have not commented on the incident yet."

An official in Iran's National Aviation Organisation, asking not to be named, told AFP that an "unmanned airplane" had crashed in Iranian territory but declined to give details.

US warplanes patrolling the skies of northern Iraq to enforce a no-fly zone regularly come under fire from Iraqi air defences. Baghdad has reported downing several US unmanned spy planes used in the enforcement mission.