U.S. F-16 shoots down Turkish drone flying over American troops in Syria
The drone, which belonged to the Turkish government, was armed with air-to-ground missiles and deemed a threat to the American troops and Syrian Democratic Forces at the Tal Baydar base.
A U.S. F-16 fighter jet shot down a Turkish drone that was flying over a base in northeast Syria where American forces are located, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The drone, which belonged to the Turkish government, was armed with air-to-ground missiles and deemed a threat to the American troops and Syrian Democratic Forces at the Tal Baydar base, said the person, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.
The uncrewed aerial vehicle was a Bayraktar TB2, a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone built by Turkish defense company Baykar for use primarily by the Turkish armed forces, the person said. The Turkish defense ministry reportedly denied it owned the drone.
Turkey has recently stepped up attacks on Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria after Kurdish militants claimed responsibility for a bomb attack in Ankara on Sunday. Turkey views the Syrian Democratic Forces as a wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which numerous nations have designated a terrorist organization.
A Turkish official on Wednesday said Turkish forces discovered two terrorists who had arrived in Turkey from Syria, and warned that infrastructure and energy facilities in Syria and Iraq affiliated with PKK or the YPG, the Turkish name for the SDF, are now “legitimate targets.”
Just hours before the shootdown, a senior U.S. general told reporters the U.S. and Turkey have a "good" military relationship, noting that "we've got open communications with the Turkish Air Operations Center, I've got a liaison team that actually sits in their air operation center."
"We try very hard to keep things flat in terms of where operations are going and mitigate the risks to our forces," said Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, on Wednesday. But "we recognize that Turkey has legitimate security concerns, that their southern border is of great concern to them."
The U.S. shootdown of a drone belonging to a NATO ally is certain to escalate tensions between Washington and Ankara, which has long been unhappy with U.S. support for the SDF.
Turkey has threatened to invade northeast Syria a number of times in recent years in response to the PKK’s activity. In October 2019, Ankara launched a massive ground operation against the SDF, which killed and displaced thousands of people.
The U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria, focused on hunting Islamic State terrorists with local partners, the SDF.
A Turkish Embassy official in Washington and State Department spokesperson declined to offer immediate comment. Reuters first reported the news of the shootdown.
Nahal Toosi contributed to this report.
