"... a UAV on a routine training flight made an emergency water landing off the coast of Zamboanga... at 9:27 AM (0127 GMT)," said Major Cynthia Teramae, spokeswoman for US forces taking part in joint operations in this country.

Teramae said the unmanned drone was recovered almost intact by Philippine and American navy divers. Philippine military sources said the wings had been damaged in the crashlanding.

Zamboanga villagers said they saw the aircraft flying normally overhead when it suddenly went down in the waters near their homes.

Teramae said that "at the request of the government of the Philippines, UAVs are providing routine aerial surveillance of the southern Philippines in support of the ongoing combined US and Philippine (shoulder-to-shoulder) training mission," adding an investigation into the crash would be launched.

The drone was part of the technical assistance the US military is providing to Philippine troops in joint operations against the Abu Sayyaf Muslim kidnapping group in the nearby southern island of Basilan.

Teramae said the drone's crash will not affect the continuing operations against the Abu Sayyaf, a group which has been linked by both countries to the al-Qaeda network of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.

The Abu Sayyaf, blamed for a series of kidnappings for ransom of foreigners and Christians, are still holding an American missionary couple and a Filipina nurse in Basilan.

The Philippine military has previously credited the drone and US reconnaissance aircraft with helping local troops close in on the Abu Sayyaf band in Basilan, leading to a spate of clashes.

The crash was the second accident involving US aircraft taking part in the six-month long joint exercises in the south which started in late January.

A US MH-47 helicopter crashed in the waters of the central Philippines on February 22 with the loss of all 10 American servicemen aboard. So far, only eight of the bodies have been recovered.

Teramae would not say if another UAV would be sent over to replace the one that crashed. She earlier said that more than one drone had been dispatched to the southern Philippines as part of the joint exercises which include the deployment of 660 US personnel.

The US deployment includes 160 Special Forces personnel in Basilan who are helping Filipino troops track the Abu Sayyaf as part of the worldwide campaign against terror groups following the September 11 attack in the United States.

American troops advise and train local forces in hunting the Abu Sayyaf but are not allowed to engage in combat except in self-defense.

All rights reserved. � 2002 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only