Afghanistan's Taliban regime claimed today to have shot down another "unidentified plane" flying over Afghanistan, the Russian news agency ITARTASS reported, quoting the official Bakhter agency in Kabul.
The plane was shot down some kilometres (miles) from the regional capital of Aibak, where Taliban forces claimed to have shot down a US spy plane on Saturday, the report added.
"We still do not know what country the plane is from," said Abdul Hanan Hinat, head of the Bakhter agency, which is controlled by the Taliban.
It has been reported that the US has admitted losing an unmanned spy plane over Afghanistan.
US Defence Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld has confirmed it is missing. But he said there was no reason to suspect it had been shot down.
Taliban forces yesterday claimed to have shot down an unmanned spy plane in northern Afghanistan.
Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Taliban's ambassador to Pakistan, said the aircraft was shot down over Tashgurgan Pass in Samangan province.
He said it was targeted by Taliban soldiers armed with Russian-made anti-aircraft weapons.
Earlier yesterday, it was reported Taliban officials had said the craft they shot down was a helicopter belonging to the opposing Northern Alliance.
Washington is gearing up for a possible attack on Afghanistan's Taliban, who have defied a US ultimatum to hand over Osama bin Laden, the chief suspect in the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington.
Military sources in Uzbekistan have said US electronic surveillance planes have arrived at an air base outside the Uzbek capital Tashkent in preparation of an attack on the Taliban.
In addition, US attack helicopters that took part in a joint NATO-Uzbek military exercise earlier this month remained at a military base some 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Tashkent, they said.
AFP