Taliban Fight With Pakistani Forces Over Downed CIA Drone

A battle was waged on Sunday morning as Pakistani troops and Taliban fighters both attempted to gain access to a downed CIA drone.

Fighting began when Taliban militants surrounded the Predator in a tribal region of Pakistan and were later fought off by Pakistani troops during a 4-hour battle that left two soldiers injured and three militants dead.

US officials say the plane failed due to a mechanical issue while Taliban insurgents say they shot the drone out of the air.

The Washington Post reports that while the Taliban would have very little use for the parts, having no means to create copycat machines while Pakistan could sell the technology to their allies who include China and Iran.

The most likely buyer would be Iran since China already has a decent understanding of drone capabilities. If the technology is shared with China it wouldn’t be the first time, Pakistan shared US stealth helicopter technology with the Chinese, the first time they are believed to have seen such stealth technology.

I personally can’t understand why the U.S. doesn’t bomb their own downed technologies or perhaps have a remote kill switch to destroy aircraft when it fails in enemy territory.

Do you think the U.S. should have attempted a recovery or bombing effort on the downed CIA drone?