Click to see full-size image. Via X.
The United States on October 5 shot down a combat drone of NATO ally Turkey that was operating near its troops in northeastern Syria, the Pentagon said.
Pentagon Press Secretary Brigade General Pat Ryder told reporters that Turkish drone strikes were being carried out inside a declared U.S.-restricted operating zone, and a drone was less than half a kilometer away from American troops before an F-16 fighter jet took it out.
The drone was shot down over the town of Tell Beydar in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah, a stronghold of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Video footage of the aerial engagement surfaced on social media.
The U.S. commander responsible for operations in the area took the decision to shoot down the drone, and US troops were relocated to bunkers, Ryder said.
The military official noted that there was no initial indication that Turkey was intentionally targeting US forces, calling it a “regrettable incident.” No US forces were harmed.
A Turkish defense ministry official said the drone that was shot down did not belong to the Turkish Armed Forces, but did not say whose property it was.
Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency, MIT, carried out strikes in Syria against the Kurdish-led SDF after a bomb attack in Ankara last weekend, a Turkish security source said. The downed Turkish drone was identified as a TAI Anka, a type that is known to be in service with the MIT.
Turkish airstrikes destroyed 30 SDF targets in northern Syria, including an oil well, a storage facility and shelters, and “neutralized” many militants, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to his Turkish counterpart later about Ankara’s military activity near U.S. forces in Syria, a call Brig. Gen. Ryder said it was “fruitful.”
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense said on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, that its minister Yasar Guler had told Austin that “Turkey is ready for a joint fight with the U.S. against Daesh.”
“Both Ministers emphasized the importance of close coordination of U.S. and Turkish elements in activities carried out in the region,” it added.
The top US military general, CQ Brown, also spoke to his Turkish counterpart about the need to follow common deconfliction protocols to ensure the safety of U.S. troops in Syria.
While the U.S. has not shot down a Turkish aircraft before, tensions between the two in northeastern Syria have always been high. In 2019, U.S. troops in the region came under artillery fire from the Turkish military.
The shot down of the Turkish drone highlights the major split between Ankara and Washington when it comes to Syria. The two NATO allies are clearly not on the same page when it comes to the war-torn country.
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who’s bullshitting who?
the us military need to get out of syria, but the only thing they will respond to is a “deadly force escort” to the “door.”
hahaha turko-mongols got humiliated by their american owners.
while the syrian and russian airforce shd be shooting down turkish drones, the us actually does it. the irony. turkey’s bombing of syrian infrastructure, albeit temporarily operated by the sdf is a continued act of war.