Pakistan shoots down alleged Iranian spy drone in Balochistan

Islamabad: An Iranian drone reportedly on a spying mission was shot down by a Pakistan Air Force fighter jet in the country’s restive Balochistan province. Pakistan Air Force (PAF)’s indigenously built JF-17 Thunder fighter was used to destroy the Iranian drone, a security official said. [caption id=“attachment_3732869” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Getty images[/caption] The Iranian unmanned aircraft was destroyed on 19 June in Panjgur area, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said. The debris of the drone was found in Parom area of Panjgur district, said the official. “Pakistan shot down an Iranian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in Panjgur sector on the Pakistan-Iran border. The drone was hit by Pakistan Air Force as it was unidentified and was flying at around three-four kilometres inside Pakistani territory,” the FO said in a statement. “Pakistan has already shared the information about striking down of this drone with the Iranian authorities indicating that the drone was struck down by our security forces as it was unmarked and there was no prior information about its flight,” it said. This was the second Iranian drone to be shot down as in the past. The US had downed an Iranian drone in Syria. Pakistan shares a 900-kilometre-long border with Iran which in the recent months has expressed concern over militants operating along the Pakistani border.