US confirms spy plane lost

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has confirmed that an American spy plane has been lost over Afghanistan.

The Taleban authorities said on Saturday that they had shot down an unmanned spy plane in the northern province of Samangan.

Taleban sources quoted by the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press agency said two cameras had been found on board the plane and that the wreckage had been moved to a secret location.

"The United States has, in fact, lost contact with an unmanned aerial vehicle. That happens from time to time, in terms of the controls," Mr Rumsfeld told reporters.

"We have no reason to believe it was shot down, as the press has reported," he added.