US Air Force Reaper Drone Crashes at Niamey Airport

US Air Force (USAF) MQ-9 Reaper drone (AFP Photo / USAF)

According to the Reuters new agency an unarmed USAF MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed on landing at the main airport in the capital of Niger on Monday (10/20/14), damaging the runway, but causing no injuries, airport sources in Niger and the U.S. Air Force said.     

Washington deployed unarmed surveillance drones in Niger after a French-led military operation in 2013 destroyed an al Qaeda enclave in neighboring northern Mali.

Supported by some 120 U.S. military personnel, they operate from a base outside the capital Niamey, though the United States is considering moving the operation to Agadez, 750 km (460 miles) northeast of Niamey.