https://sputnikglobe.com/20231005/pentagon-regrettable-that-us-f-16-fighter-shot-down-turkish-drone-in-syria-1113969204.html
Pentagon: ‘Regrettable’ That US F-16 Fighter Shot Down Turkish Drone in Syria
Pentagon: ‘Regrettable’ That US F-16 Fighter Shot Down Turkish Drone in Syria
Sputnik International
In a rare moment of NATO-on-NATO violence on Thursday, a US fighter jet shot down a Turkish drone near a US military installation in Syria.
2023-10-05T21:29+0000
2023-10-05T21:29+0000
2023-10-05T21:26+0000
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The incident happened near the town of al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria - a part of the country controlled by Turkish forces and US-backed Kurdish militant groups, which are themselves rival forces.According to Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Turkish drone was conducting airstrikes against Kurdish forces when it approached a US base that houses some 900 troops. After multiple warnings to turn away, an F-16 Falcon multirole fighter aircraft that had been scrambled shot down the drone.He noted no US troops were injured in the incident.So far, Turkish Defense Ministry figures have denied the US claim when asked by Turkish media, which some observers have noted may be an indication the drone was operated by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Turkiye’s spy agency.However, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters he had a “fruitful” call with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler on Thursday afternoon.Turkish forces have been occupying parts of northern Syria for more than half a decade, intervening in the Syrian Civil War in support of al-Qaeda-aligned* militias that sought the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. However, Ankara also launched a major operation in 2019 to clear a border area in northeastern Syria of Kurds, claiming the SDF was aiding Kurdish communist groups inside of Turkiye that have been declared terrorist organizations. As the SDF was already aligned with Washington at the time, it created a potentially explosive situation.Neither Turkish nor US troops have permission from the Syrian government in Damascus to be inside of Syria, and US forces have been observed for years to be transporting the region’s petroleum out of the country and into Iraq by truck - a practice long denied by the US government and media until then-US President Donald Trump boasted about how the US “kept the oil” after intervening in Syria to fight Daesh** in 2017.*Al-Qaeda and al-Nusra Front (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham) are terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other countries.**Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231005/drone-attack-on-syrian-military-college-kills-at-least-80-people---health-ministry-1113966202.html
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turkish drone; syria; sdf; al-hasakah; us base
turkish drone; syria; sdf; al-hasakah; us base
Pentagon: ‘Regrettable’ That US F-16 Fighter Shot Down Turkish Drone in Syria
In a rare moment of NATO-on-NATO violence on Thursday, a US fighter jet shot down a Turkish drone near a US military installation in Syria.
The incident happened near the town of al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria - a part of the country controlled by Turkish forces and US-backed Kurdish militant groups, which are themselves rival forces.
According to Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Turkish drone was conducting airstrikes
against Kurdish forces when it approached a US base that houses some 900 troops. After multiple warnings to turn away, an F-16 Falcon multirole fighter aircraft that had been scrambled shot down the drone.
Ryder told reporters it was "a regrettable incident, but we have no indication that Turkiye was intentionally targeting US forces," adding that Turkish drones were "conducting airstrikes inside a declared restricted operating zone."
He noted no US troops were injured in the incident.
So far, Turkish Defense Ministry figures have denied the US claim when asked by Turkish media, which some observers have noted may be an indication the drone was operated by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Turkiye’s spy agency.
5 October 2023, 18:45 GMT
However, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters he had a “fruitful” call with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler on Thursday afternoon.
A spokesperson for the Kurdish militias, which call themselves the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), confirmed to US media the Turkish drone had been shot down, but added that “we currently do not possess sufficient information to provide further details.”
Turkish forces have been
occupying parts of northern Syria for more than half a decade, intervening in the Syrian Civil War in support of al-Qaeda-aligned* militias that sought the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. However, Ankara also launched a major operation in 2019 to clear a border area in northeastern Syria of Kurds, claiming the SDF was aiding Kurdish communist groups inside of Turkiye that have been declared terrorist organizations. As the SDF was already aligned with Washington at the time, it created a potentially explosive situation.
Earlier this week, Ankara announced the conclusion of another military operation against Kurdish groups in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan province, where it has repeatedly intervened for similar reasons, and also unveiled a new operation against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), one of the groups banned in Turkiye, in the southeastern region that borders Syria and Iraq.
Neither Turkish nor US troops have permission from the Syrian government in Damascus to be inside of Syria, and US forces have been
observed for years to be transporting the region’s petroleum out of the country and into Iraq by truck - a practice long denied by the US government and media until then-US President Donald Trump boasted about how the US “kept the oil” after intervening in Syria to fight Daesh** in 2017.
*Al-Qaeda and al-Nusra Front (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham) are terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other countries.
**Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states.
