US Predator crashes in Afghanistan

An American MQ-1 Predator drone has crashed on takeoff in southern Afghanistan, the US Air Forces Central Command confirms.

Early Monday reports said the aircraft was not gunned down by a hostile fire. It was also noted that the accident has left no casualties.

The US military said the drone was to conduct a surveillance mission in the area. Investigation is underway to find the cause of the failure.

The MQ-1 Predator Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance, commonly known as MALE, is the most famous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), currently in American service.

It is primarily utilized for surveillance but can also be outfitted with laser-guided missiles such as the AGM-114 Hellfire for use in targeted air strikes.

The US uses UAVs to target what it calls militant hideouts; however, the number of civilian lives lost in such attacks usually exceeds that of alleged militants.

The Afghan government has repeatedly called on Washington to put an end to the imprecise drone attacks, which have resulted in anti-American sentiment in Afghanistan over the civilian casualties.