The US military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone, members of Congress said, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to close airspace near El Paso, Texas.

It is unclear why the laser was deployed, but this marks the second such incident in two weeks in the area. The military is required to formally notify the FAA of any counter-drone actions within US airspace.

The previous laser firing did not hit a target and was conducted by CBP near Fort Bliss, about 80km northwest, leading the FAA to shut down air traffic at El Paso airport. This time, the closure was smaller and did not affect commercial flights.

US Representative Rick Larsen and two other top Democrats on House committees expressed shock upon official notification. In a joint statement, they criticized the Trump administration for "sidestepping" a bipartisan bill to train drone operators and improve coordination between the Pentagon, FAA, and Department of Homeland Security.

The Pentagon, FAA, and CBP issued a statement saying the military used a "counter-unmanned aircraft system to mitigate a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace." They added the incident occurred far from populated areas with no commercial aircraft nearby.

The El Paso shutdown two weeks ago lasted only hours but raised alarms and caused flight cancellations in the city of nearly 700,000 near the Mexican border.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy plans to brief Congress this week. Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth called for an independent investigation, stating the Trump administration's "incompetence continues to cause chaos in our skies."

Source: www.aljazeera.com