By Robert Johnson

Business Insider

At 3:15 EDT no major U.S. news agencies have picked up the report.

There have been no solid confirmations on this report, but following the loss of a Sentinel RQ-170 drone to Iran and the loss of a second drone in the Seychelles earlier this month, reports are coming out of Afghanistan/Iran that the U.S. has lost another UAV.

The Avenger - Taliban claims it is responsible for downing yet another drone.

PressTV reports that Afghan officials claim the drone crashed in Afghanistan’s southeastern province of Paktia.

The news agency also says a statement released by NATO forces Tuesday confirmed the crash, but is calling it an “emergency landing due to technical malfunction.”

Spokesman for the Taliban Zabiullah Mujahid claims his group shot the drone from the sky, saying the Taliban have shot down several aircraft over Afghanistan this year.

The BBC Pashto site has a picture of a crashed drone. The site’s in Arabic, but check out the picture here.

The Khaama Press, an online Afghan site, confirms the drone went down due to technical problems and was not shot down by the Taliban.

Since these aren’t the most well known and respected news sites, it’s probably wise to take the reports with a grain of salt. Just as interesting as the U.S losing another drone is that the claim can now be made, and given the U.S.’s recent record, it’s not entirely unbelievable. Regardless, it could be an interesting addition to the propoganda coming out of Iran recently.

Interfax also reports the drone crash via The Voice Of RussiaInterfax is a non-governmental news agency based in Moscow that says the crash occurred near Paktia, and the city of Ahmadabad.