The United States announced Thursday that it had shot down a Turkish drone in Syria, believing it posed a potential threat to American forces there and could sour relations between the two NATO-allied countries.
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This incident occurred as Turkey carried out attacks on Kurdish targets in Syria following a suicide attack in Ankara claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK, Turkish Kurdish), which Turkey and its Western allies call “terrorist.” “ group is called.
US forces saw drone strikes in northeastern Syria on Thursday morning, including some near Hasakah, about a kilometer from US troops, Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder told reporters.
BREAKING:
An American F-16 fighter jet just shot down a Turkish Anka-S drone over Syria after it was deemed a threat to US forces in the region.
The drone had previously bombed SDF (Kurdish) positions.
It is the first time ever that the US has shot down a Turkish plane pic.twitter.com/NRjFdae0kD
— Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) October 5, 2023
A few hours later, a Turkish drone returned to the area and flew toward U.S. forces.
“American commanders concluded that this drone, which (…) was less than 500 meters from American forces, posed a potential threat, and American F-16 fighters then shot it down in self-defense,” he said .
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called his Turkish counterpart Yasar Güler on Thursday evening and called for “de-escalation in northern Syria,” according to a Pentagon press release.
He particularly emphasized “the importance of strict adherence to the protocols in force and communication through the usual army-to-army channels,” the text adds.
According to a statement from the Turkish Defense Ministry, which did not refer to the incident, the two officials discussed “the latest developments in Syria” and “their close cooperation in the region,” with the Turkish minister saying that “Turkey was ready for this “a joint fight with the United States against Daesh,” the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (IS) group.
The United States is sending about 900 troops to Syria as part of the international community’s efforts to combat ISIS and often carries out attacks against jihadists.
Turkish media reported that Turkey again attacked Kurdish positions and targets on Thursday evening, including “PKK/YPG arms and ammunition depots” in northern Syria.
The YPG (People’s Defense Units) are viewed by Turkey as an extension of the PKK. They fought alongside the USA and the Western coalition against the jihadists of the IS group.
Turkey has shot down Syrian and Russian planes in the past, while the United States recently accused Russian forces of “harassing” its planes over Syria.
In July, Washington said a Russian warplane dropped flares over a U.S. drone taking part in an anti-IS mission, damaging the propeller.