U.S. Shoots Down Turkish Drone Near American Troops in Syria, Raising Tensions
Washington/Ankara – In a significant escalation of tensions between the United States and Turkey, U.S. officials confirmed on Thursday that they had shot down an armed Turkish drone near U.S. troops in Syria. This marks the first time the U.S. has brought down an aircraft belonging to its NATO ally Turkey.
According to Turkish defense ministry officials, the drone in question did not belong to the Turkish armed forces, although they did not specify to whom it belonged. The incident occurred amidst Turkish strikes in Syria targeting Kurdish militant targets following a bomb attack in the capital city of Ankara last weekend.
U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated that they had repeatedly warned Turkish military officials that they were operating dangerously close to U.S. ground forces. They further revealed that an F-16 had shot down the Turkish drone, which was believed to be armed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a local security source confirmed that the U.S.-led coalition had indeed shot down a Turkish drone near a base in northeastern Syria.
This incident comes at a delicate time for U.S.-Turkish relations, with the United States hopeful that Turkey will support Sweden’s NATO membership.
While the U.S. has not previously shot down a Turkish aircraft, tensions between the two allies have often flared up in the past. In 2019, U.S. troops in northern Syria came under artillery fire from Turkish positions.
In response to the recent bomb attack in Ankara, U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces reported that Turkish attacks had resulted in the deaths of eight people. Turkey has long viewed the Kurdish forces in northern Syria as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which claimed responsibility for the attack.
Turkey has not ruled out the possibility of a ground operation in Syria as a reaction to the threats posed by terrorist organizations. The Turkish defense ministry official stated, “Our only goal is to eliminate the terrorist organizations that pose a threat to Turkey. A ground operation is one of the options to eliminate this threat, but it is not the only option for us.”
Security forces in northeastern Syria reported that Turkey launched multiple attacks on Thursday, with over 15 drones entering the region’s airspace and striking various targets, including infrastructure, gas, and oil stations. These attacks reportedly resulted in the deaths of six members of local security forces and two civilians.
Turkey has intensified its operations against the outlawed PKK, carrying out airstrikes in both northern Iraq and Syria. Turkish officials argue that any infrastructure and energy facilities controlled by the PKK and its affiliate, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), are legitimate military targets.
The YPG is a key ally of the U.S.-led coalition in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). This support has strained ties between Turkey and the U.S., as well as other coalition allies like France. Turkey has warned third-country forces to stay away from PKK and YPG-controlled facilities.
As tensions rise in the region, the U.S. and Turkey are faced with the challenge of managing their alliance while addressing their differing interests and threats posed by various terrorist organizations.
Reporting by Idrees Ali and Huseyin Hayatsever. Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu. Writing by Huseyin Hayatsever and Tom Perry. Editing by Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan and David Gregorio.