The U.S. military says it lost an MQ-1 drone on Saturday near Agadez, Niger, according to U.S. Africa Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur initial and current assessment is that the RPA [remotely piloted aircraft] was lost due to mechanical failure. We do not believe the RPA was lost as a result of any hostile action,\u201d Navy Lt. Christina M. Gibson, a spokeswoman with U.S. Africa Command<\/a>, told Military Times in an email Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pictures of the alleged U.S. drone crash were making the rounds on social media Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Officials with U.S. AFRICOM confirmed to Military Times that the crashed drone was an MQ-1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Agadez is the site of a new sprawling joint Niger and U.S. air base known as Nigerien Air Base 201. AFRICOM announced in November that the $110 million airfield was conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations out of the base, and was housing armed drones and other aircraft that previously were operating out of Niger\u2019s capital, Niamey.<\/p>\n\n\n\t