Shamsi airfield

Shamsi airfield
Balochistan, Pakistan
Type	Civil airfield allegedly in use for covert military operations
Coordinates	27°51′0″N 65°10′0″E
Controlled by	Government of Pakistan (PAF)
Occupants	Central Intelligence Agency (alleged)

File:Image said to be Predator drone aircraft at Shamsi Airbase in Pakistan -- no longer available on Google Earth..jpg

Satellite image of Shamsi puports to show three Predator aircraft on a parking ramp.

Shamsi airfield, also called Bandari, is a small Air Force's airfield and air station located in Balochistan, Pakistan, about 200 miles (320 km) southwest of Quetta near the town of Washki. In 2009 media reports alleged that the airfield was used by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a base for Predator drone attacks on militants in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The airfield was constructed at an unknown date and used for years by Arab sheiks from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries for falconry trips. During the War in Afghanistan, US special forces used the airfield as a base between 2001 and 2006.

On January 9, 2002 a United States Marine Corps KC-130 aircraft crashed on approach to Shamsi. All seven crewmembers were killed in the crash.

In February 2009, The Times (London) announced that it had obtained Google Earth images from 2006 which showed Predator aircraft parked outside a hangar at the end of the runway. The Times investigation was in response to a statement by US Senator Dianne Feinstein that the CIA was basing its drone aircraft in Pakistan. The U.S. company Blackwater was also reported to have a presence there, hired by the government to arm the drones with missiles. The Pakistan government has denied that the airfield is being used as a base for US military or covert operations. The New York Times cited a senior Pakistani military official as saying that in 2009 the drone operations were moved across the border to Afghanistan.

References

• Cable News Network (January 9, 2002). "Pentagon investigates KC-130 crash". CNN. Retrieved February 20, 2009. 
• Coghlan, Tom (February 17, 2009). "Secrecy and denial as Pakistan lets CIA use airbase to strike militants" (Newspaper article). The Times. London. Retrieved February 20, 2009. 
• GlobalSecurity.org (2009). "Shamsi, Pakistan". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved February 20, 2009. 
• Hussain, Javed (February 16, 2009). "Suspected U.S. drone hits militant nest in Pakistan" (Newspaper article). Washington Post (Reuters). Retrieved February 20, 2009. 
• Page, Jeremy (February 19, 2009). "Google Earth Reveals Secret History Of US Base In Pakistan" (Newspaper article). The Times. London. Retrieved February 20, 2009. 

See Also

• Shahid Bashir