06 October 2023; MEMO: The United States, on Thursday, shot down an armed Turkish drone that was operating near its troops in Syria, US officials said, the first time Washington has brought down an aircraft of NATO ally, Turkiye, Reuters reports.
A Turkish Defence Ministry official said the drone shot down by the US-led coalition did not belong to the Turkish armed forces but did not say whose property it was.
Turkiye’s National Intelligence Agency carried out strikes in Syria against Kurdish militant targets after a bomb attack in Ankara last weekend, a Turkish security source said on Thursday.
Two US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said an F-16 shot down the Turkish drone after the United States called Turkish military officials multiple times to warn them they were operating close to US ground forces. The officials said the Turkish drone was believed to be armed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a local security source said the US-led coalition had shot down a Turkish drone near a base in north-eastern Syria.
The incident comes at a delicate moment for US-Turkish relations, with the United States hoping Turkiye will ratify NATO membership for Sweden.
While the United States has not shot down a Turkish aircraft before, tensions have flared and there have been close calls. In 2019, US troops in northern Syria came under artillery fire from Turkish positions.
Turkiye strikes in Syria
US-allied Syrian Kurdish forces said Turkish attacks had killed eight people in an escalation prompted by the bomb attack in Ankara by Kurdish militants.
US support for Kurdish forces in northern Syria has long caused tension with Turkiye, which views them as a wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). That group claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack in Ankara near government buildings.
On Wednesday, Turkiye said the two attackers had come from Syria. The bombing killed both attackers and wounded two police officers. The Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led force backed by the United States, denied that the bombers had passed through its territory.
On Thursday, a Turkish Defence Ministry official said a ground operation into Syria was one option that Turkiye could consider. Turkiye has mounted several previous incursions into northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish YPG group.
“Our only goal is to eliminate the terrorist organisations that pose a threat to Turkiye. A ground operation is one of the options to eliminate this threat, but it is not the only option for us,” the official said.
Security forces in north-eastern Syria said Turkiye launched a series of attacks on Thursday with more than 15 drones entering the region’s airspace and hitting targets, including infrastructure and gas and oil stations. In a statement, the security forces said Turkish attacks killed six members of the internal security forces in north-eastern Syria, and two civilians in two separate strikes.
Turkiye has redoubled its operations targeting the outlawed PKK, by carrying out air strikes in northern Iraq.
Turkish officials said any infrastructure and energy facilities in Iraq and Syria controlled by the PKK, as well as People’s Protection Units (YPG), were legitimate military targets.
“The PKK and the YPG are the same terrorist organisation; they are our legitimate target everywhere. Turkiye conducted operations whenever and wherever necessary in the past, and these operations will continue if needed again,” the Defence Ministry official said.
“These operations are being conducted under self-defence rights arising from international law to eliminate terrorist attacks on Turkish territory and to ensure border security,” the official added.
The YPG is also the spearhead of the main ally of the US-led coalition against Daesh. Support for the YPG by the United States and other allies, including France, has strained ties with Turkiye. Turkiye has warned forces of third countries to stay away from facilities controlled by the PKK and YPG.
“We are calling on all parties, our friendly and allied countries, in particular, to stay away from those terrorists. This is just a reminder. It is up to them to take necessary precautions,” the official said, without naming any country.
