U.S. MQ-1C Gray Eagle Drone Was Reportedly Shot Down Over Eastern Syria (Photos)

Click to see full-size image. Via X.

An MQ-1C Gray Eagle of the United States military was reportedly shot down late on June 26 over the eastern Syrian governorate of Deir Ezzor.

The drone crashed close to the town of al-Busayrah, which is located in a part of Deir Ezzor’s southeastern countryside that is controlled by the U.S. and its local allies. A large U.S. force was reportedly dispatched to secure the crash site to recover the wreckage. Still, photos of the drone’s remains surfaced online.

Click to see full-size image. Via X.

The incident came less than a week after a drone strike attributed to the U.S. killed a fighter of the Iraqi armed faction Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada near the town of al-Bukamal in the southern countryside of Deir Ezzor, which is controlled by Syrian government forces.

Interestingly, the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, which is a part of the Russian Ministry of Defense, revealed later that the strike was carried out by an MQ-1C combat drone of the U.S. military. The center also revealed that a number of Syrian citizens were also killed or wounded as a result of the strike.

“At about 10:30 p.m. [19:30 GMT] on June 21, an MQ-1C multipurpose drone of the so-called international anti-terrorist coalition, from Iraqi airspace, without violating Syrian airspace, struck a truck moving in the area of the town of al-Bukamal. Syrian citizens have been killed and injured as a result of the attack,” the head of the center, Major General Yuri Popov, said in a briefing on June 22.

MQ-1C combat drones, which cost upwards of $21 million per a unit, are primarily used to collect intelligence, but have the ability to conduct pinpoint strikes. The advanced drones can operate for more than 25 hours and reach altitudes of over 29,000 feet.

Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhadakl is a key faction of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a coalition that emerged after the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip last October and began launching attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria as well as targets in Israel.

The coalition suspended attacks against American forces last February after the death of three American troops in a drone strike on a base in Jordan, reportedly upon a request from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, it escalated attacks against Israel starting from March.

It is very possible that the U.S. drone was shot down by the IRI in response to the recent deadly drone strike on al-Baukamal.

IRI factions are known to present in government-held parts of Deir Ezzor, right next to the area where the drone was shot down. The group also demonstrated its capability to engage drones that operate at high altitudes when it shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper combat drone over the northeastern Iraqi governorate of Diyala on January 18.

The U.S. Central Command is yet to release a statement acknowledging the incident. The upcoming few days will likely reveal more details on what exactly happened.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: