THE US was secretly flying unmanned drones from the Shamsi airbase in Pakistan's southwestern province of Baluchistan as early as 2006, according to an image of the base from Google Earth.
The image, which is no longer on the site but which was obtained by The News, Pakistan's English language daily newspaper, shows what appear to be three Predator drones outside a hangar at the end of the runway.
The image, whose co-ordinates confirm that it is the Shamsi airfield, also known as Bandari, about 320km southwest of the Pakistani city of Quetta. Reports this week revealed the CIA, despite denials from Washington and Islamabad, was secretly using Shamsi to launch the Predator drones that observe and attack al-Qa'ida and Taliban militants around Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
US special forces used the airbase during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, but the Pakistani Government said in 2006 that the Americans had left and both sides have since denied repeatedly that Washington was using Pakistani bases.
Pakistan has also demanded that the US cease drone attacks on its tribal area, which have increased over the past year, allegedly killing several "high-value" targets as well as many civilians.
Shamsi, built by Arab sheiks for falconry trips, may have been used to launch Predators for at least three years.
Its advantage is that it provides a discreet launchpad within minutes of Quetta - a known Taliban staging post - as well as Taliban infiltration routes into Afghanistan and potential militant targets farther afield.
Google Earth's current image of Shamsi - about 160km south of the Afghan border and 160km east of the Iranian one - undoubtedly shows the same airstrip as the image from 2006.
There are no visible drones, but it does show that several new buildings and other structures have been erected since 2006, including what appears to be a hangar large enough to fit three drones.
Perimeter defences, apparently made from the same blast-proof barriers used at US and NATO bases in Afghanistan, have also been set up around the hangar.
A compound on the other side of the runway appears to have sufficient housing for several dozen people, as well as neatly tended lawns.
Three military aviation experts shown the image said that the aircraft appeared to be MQ1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles - the model used by the CIA to observe and strike militants on the Afghan border.
A military spokesman at the US embassy in Islamabad declined to comment on the images. Major-General Athar Abbas, Pakistan's chief military spokesman admitted on Tuesday that US forces were using Shamsi, but only for logistics.
He also said the Americans were using another air base in the city of Jacobabad for logistics and military operations.
Pakistan gave the US permission to use Shamsi, Jacobabad and two other bases - Pasni and Dalbadin - for the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001.
The image of the US drones at Shamsi highlights the extraordinary power, and potential security risks, of Google Earth.
Several governments have asked it to remove or blur images of sensitive locations such as military bases, nuclear reactors and government buildings. Some have also accused the company of helping terrorists, as in 2007, when its images of British military bases were found in the homes of Iraqi insurgents.
Last year India said the militants who attacked Mumbai in November had used Google Earth to familiarise themselves with their targets.
Google Street View, which offers ground-level, 360-degree views, also ran into controversy last year when the Pentagon asked it to remove some online images of military bases in America.
The image, which is no longer on the site but which was obtained by The News, Pakistan's English language daily newspaper, shows what appear to be three Predator drones outside a hangar at the end of the runway.
The image, whose co-ordinates confirm that it is the Shamsi airfield, also known as Bandari, about 320km southwest of the Pakistani city of Quetta. Reports this week revealed the CIA, despite denials from Washington and Islamabad, was secretly using Shamsi to launch the Predator drones that observe and attack al-Qa'ida and Taliban militants around Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
US special forces used the airbase during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, but the Pakistani Government said in 2006 that the Americans had left and both sides have since denied repeatedly that Washington was using Pakistani bases.
Pakistan has also demanded that the US cease drone attacks on its tribal area, which have increased over the past year, allegedly killing several "high-value" targets as well as many civilians.
Shamsi, built by Arab sheiks for falconry trips, may have been used to launch Predators for at least three years.
Its advantage is that it provides a discreet launchpad within minutes of Quetta - a known Taliban staging post - as well as Taliban infiltration routes into Afghanistan and potential militant targets farther afield.
Google Earth's current image of Shamsi - about 160km south of the Afghan border and 160km east of the Iranian one - undoubtedly shows the same airstrip as the image from 2006.
There are no visible drones, but it does show that several new buildings and other structures have been erected since 2006, including what appears to be a hangar large enough to fit three drones.
Perimeter defences, apparently made from the same blast-proof barriers used at US and NATO bases in Afghanistan, have also been set up around the hangar.
A compound on the other side of the runway appears to have sufficient housing for several dozen people, as well as neatly tended lawns.
Three military aviation experts shown the image said that the aircraft appeared to be MQ1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles - the model used by the CIA to observe and strike militants on the Afghan border.
A military spokesman at the US embassy in Islamabad declined to comment on the images. Major-General Athar Abbas, Pakistan's chief military spokesman admitted on Tuesday that US forces were using Shamsi, but only for logistics.
He also said the Americans were using another air base in the city of Jacobabad for logistics and military operations.
Pakistan gave the US permission to use Shamsi, Jacobabad and two other bases - Pasni and Dalbadin - for the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001.
The image of the US drones at Shamsi highlights the extraordinary power, and potential security risks, of Google Earth.
Several governments have asked it to remove or blur images of sensitive locations such as military bases, nuclear reactors and government buildings. Some have also accused the company of helping terrorists, as in 2007, when its images of British military bases were found in the homes of Iraqi insurgents.
Last year India said the militants who attacked Mumbai in November had used Google Earth to familiarise themselves with their targets.
Google Street View, which offers ground-level, 360-degree views, also ran into controversy last year when the Pentagon asked it to remove some online images of military bases in America.
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