Launching Attack On Kurdish Militants In Syria, Turkish Drone Shot Down By US F-16 Jet

Turkish drone illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/N13s013)

JAKARTA - The United States on Thursday shot down a Turkish armed drone operating near its Syrian forces, the Pentagon said, which is the first time Washington has shot down a plane belonging to its allies at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said Turkish drones were seen carrying out airstrikes in Hasakah, Syria on Thursday, about 1 km from US troops.

Hours later, a Turkish drone approached within less than half a kilometer (0.3 miles) of US troops. This caused it to be considered a threat and shot down an F-16 fighter jet.

"We have no indication that Turkey is deliberately targeting US troops," Brigadier General Ryder told reporters.

On the other hand, a Turkish Defense Ministry official said the drone that was shot down did not belong to the Turkish armed forces, but did not specify who it belonged to.

Meanwhile, security sources in the country said Turkey's National Intelligence Service carried out an attack in Syria on Kurdish militant targets after a bomb attack in Ankara last weekend.

Hasah is in northeastern Syria and the People's Protection Unit (YPG), most of whom are Kurdish citizens, is the spearhead of the main ally of the US-led coalition against ISIS, also known as Daesh.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense said its military launched airstrikes on Thursday night and destroyed 30 Kurdish militant targets in northern Syria, including oil wells, storage and shelter facilities and "tralisted" many militants.

After the shooting, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Turkish Defense Minister, who Brigadier General Ryder said was "benefitful."

Meanwhile, Turkey's Ministry of Defense said on social media platform X, Defense Minister Yasar Guler had told Defense Secretary Austin, "Turkey is ready to fight alongside the US against ISIS."

"The two Ministers emphasized the importance of close coordination between US and Turkish elements in activities carried out in the region," he added.

Separately, Syrian Kurdish forces allied with the US said the Turkish attack had killed eight people since the bomb attack on Ankara by Kurdish militants.

It is known that Uncle Sam's country's support for Kurdish troops in northern Syria has long raised tensions with Turkey, which views them as the banned wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PPK). The group claimed responsibility for Sunday's suicide bombing in Ankara.