WASHINGTON, Jan 26: An unmanned US reconnaissance aircraft crashed on Thursday night as it attempted to land at an air base upon returning from a mission over Afghanistan.

“While we’re still assessing what caused the crash, it is clear that it was not due to hostile fire,” said Rear Admiral John Stufflebeem, deputy director of operations of the Joint Staff.

Stufflebeem said the crash occurred on Thursday, but the US Central Command said it was early on Friday as it returned to its base at an unidentified location in the region.

“The cause of the crash is under investigation,” the command said in a statement from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida.—AFP