US denies reports that 1 of its drones crashed in Somalia

OGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The U.S. military denies reports from residents and rebels in southwestern Somalia that a suspected U.S. drone with six missiles crashed today in a rebel-held village in the Gedo region.

Spokesman for the U.S. Africa Command, Chuck Prichard, said all their "assets in this area are accounted for and we have no indication that any were involved in this reported incident."

Al-Shabab, Somalia's Islamic extremists, claimed on their radio station that their fighters have seized the crashed drone with the missiles. This has not been independently verified.

U.S. drones have killed several al-Shabab leaders in airstrikes in Somalia over the past year.