November 21, 2006
(Vid) Terrorists Shoot Down US Plane in Iraq
The Army of Ansar al Sunna, a terrorist group in Iraq, is claiming that it shot down a "US spy plane" near Latifiyah, Iraq. A video produced by the Sunni terrorists shows the 'downed' airplane. The video and images from it are posted below.
However, the "spy plane" is actually a toy model airplane which has a camera attached to it. Images from the video, shown below, show the plane carries the logo of "Thunder Tiger" a Taiwanese toy model company.
The brave mujahidin at work.
It's fascinating that the group, which is mostly known for its gruesome beheading murders of hostages, has now resorted to claiming victory by showing a downed toy model plane.
People in the military tell me that these kind of UAVs are so cheap that they are considered one time use and are routinely abandoned. They are used in forward deployments by troops on the gound and are not so much 'spy planes' as they are reconnaissance tools. So, in addition to not really being a 'spy plane' its also unlikely that it was shot down. Probably just ran out of juice and was abandoned.
UPDATE: Thanks to the dilligence of readers and from the guys over at Military Photos I've learned that this plane was probably not used by the military at all. The most likely scenario is that it is just what it appears to be: a model airplane. Some kid in Iraq is wondering where his toy went off to.
Terrorists in Iraq: Losing hearts and minds one toy airplane at a time.
Hat tip: Thalja...thanks to Howie for uploading the vid.
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