The US Department of Defence (DoD) has confirmed that an MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in Iraq on 16 July when it was returning from a mission.
The confirmation comes after several images were circulated on social media showing the UAV wreckage.
DoD spokesman major Roger Cabiness II was quoted by Army Times as saying: "(The UAV) was returning from an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission when technical complications caused a loss of communication with the aircraft on 16 July.
"There were no weapons on board the aircraft. We are working with Iraqi authorities to recover the aircraft."
The accident occurred in a government-controlled desert area near Samawah, which is located 280km south-east of Baghdad, Reuters reported.
As part of its fight against Islamic State, the US forces widely use drones in Iraq and Syria to collect intelligence and conduct strikes.
The MQ-1, armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, is the multi-role version of RQ-1 Predator that is used for armed reconnaissance and interdiction.
It is a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system with a fully operational system consisting of four air vehicles, a ground control station and a primary satellite link communication suite.
The US Air Force’s (USAF) UAVs are operational with its 11th and 15th Reconnaissance Squadrons.
To date, more than 125 Predators have been delivered to the USAF.
