6-10-2023 (WASHINGTON) In a rare and concerning incident, the United States shot down an armed Turkish drone operating near its troops in Syria. This marks the first time that the United States has downed an aircraft belonging to its NATO ally, Turkey.
A Turkish defense ministry official confirmed that the drone shot down did not belong to the Turkish armed forces but did not disclose its ownership. The incident occurred in the wake of Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency conducting strikes in Syria against Kurdish militant targets following a bomb attack in Ankara over the weekend.
On the same evening, Turkish military airstrikes targeted and destroyed 30 Kurdish militant sites in northern Syria, including an oil well, storage facility, and shelters. These strikes were said to have “neutralized” many militants, according to the Turkish defense ministry.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder revealed that Turkish drones had carried out airstrikes in Hasakah, Syria, just 1 km away from U.S. troops earlier in the day. Later, a Turkish drone ventured within half a kilometer (0.3 miles) of U.S. troops, which was deemed a threat and subsequently shot down by F-16 aircraft. Ryder emphasized that there was no indication that Turkey had intentionally targeted U.S. forces.
Hasakah, located in northeastern Syria, is home to the primarily Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), a key ally of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS). The situation has underscored the complexities of the U.S.-Turkey relationship, especially in relation to U.S. support for Kurdish forces, which Turkey views as connected to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK claimed responsibility for the bomb attack in Ankara near government buildings last weekend.
As a result of these escalating tensions, General Charles Q. Brown, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Turkish counterpart to emphasize the need to follow common deconfliction protocols to ensure the safety of U.S. personnel in Syria.
Turkish officials have not ruled out the possibility of a ground operation into Syria to eliminate terrorist organizations posing a threat to Turkey. This threat has led Turkey to intensify operations against the PKK, including airstrikes in northern Iraq.
These recent developments mark a challenging phase in U.S.-Turkish relations, with the United States keen on Turkey’s ratification of NATO membership for Sweden. While tensions have arisen in the past, the shooting down of a Turkish drone by the United States signals a new level of discord between the two nations, and it underscores the complexities of their alliance and shared interests in the region.
???????? #Syria – #Rojava: The US military shot down a Turkish drone over Hasakah today after the drone came too close to US troops. The drone was bombing targets near US positions, and refused to leave the area after over a dozen warnings were given to the Turkish military.… pic.twitter.com/5CuqrUGEF3
— POPULAR FRONT (@PopularFront_) October 5, 2023
