2023 Turkish drone shootdown

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2023 Turkish drone shootdown
TAI Anka-S drone of the Turkish Air Force
Shootdown
Date5 October 2023 (2023-10-05)
SummaryShot-down by a US F-16
SiteNear Tell Beydar, Hasakah Governorate, Syria

On 5 October 2023, at approximately 11:30 AM local time, a Turkish combat drone was shot down by a United States Air Force F-16 near US forces in the Al-Hasakah region of Syria.[1][2]

Background

Turkey has frequently criticized the United States for providing aid to the Kurdish YPG in Syria, which Turkey views as a terrorist organization allied with the outlawed PKK. Following the 2023 Ankara bombing, Turkey began to launch airstrikes on targets in the SDF-controlled zones of Syria. Turkey has stated that a ground operation in Kurdish-controlled zones of Syria is an option that it could consider in retaliation for the 2023 Ankara bombing.[2][3]

Events

Main article: October 2023 Northeastern Syria clashes

According to US officials cited by Politico, a Turkish Bayraktar TB2[1] drone was being used in Syria near the position of US troops. The United States attempted to contact Turkey a dozen times to warn them, but to no avail. They then resolved to shoot down the drone using an F-16.[4] The US claimed that the drone had been flying in an "unsynchronized" and "unsafe" way. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and local sources confirmed that a Turkish drone was shot down by US forces.[2][5][6]

In the vicinity of Al-Hasakah, Syria, several Turkish strikes occurred at 7:30 AM local time, with some of them inside a US-declared restricted operating zone. The drones were situated approximately one kilometer away from US forces, prompting them to relocate to bunkers. Later, at 11:30 AM local time, a Turkish drone initially identified as a Bayraktar TB2 breached the restricted operating zone once again. U.S. commanders evaluated the drone as a "possible threat," resulting in the F-16 shooting it down.[7] The drone model of the combat drone was identified as a TAI Anka-S drone afterwards in more precise reports.[8][9][10]

Aftermath

Turkey's Defense Minister denied that the drone was of Turkish origin but did not provide an explanation about its source.[2] The Pentagon stated that the shooting down of the drone was a "regrettable incident" and that it was done in self-defense. The Defense Ministers of both the United States and Turkey held a call together to discuss the matter.[1] According to the Turkish Defence Minister, the US F-16 that destroyed the drone took off from Jordan and not from the US base at Incirlik, Turkey.[11]

On 10 October, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, said :[12]

"The US downed Türkiye's UAV in Syria. Isn't Türkiye US' NATO ally? How do we make sense of this? The US acts like a partner whenever it wants to but trains terrorist groups in Syria at other times."

He also said that Turkey would do what is "necessary" after this act.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c Seligman, Lara (5 October 2023). "U.S. F-16 shoots down Turkish drone flying over American troops in Syria". POLITICO. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Ali, Idrees; Hayatsever, Huseyin; Ali, Idrees (5 October 2023). "US jet shoots down Turkish drone in Syria, Pentagon says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  3. ^ Kajjo, Sirwan (5 October 2023). "Turkey Intensifies Drone Attacks on Kurdish-Held Northern Syria". VOA. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  4. ^ Marcus, Josh (5 October 2023). "US reportedly shoots down armed Turkish drone operating near American troops in Syria". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  5. ^ Copp, Tara; Lee, Matthew Lee; Baldor, Lolita C. (5 October 2023). "US shoots down armed Turkish drone after it came too close to US troops in Syria". AP News. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  6. ^ Watson, Eleanor; Abdulkader, Omar (5 October 2023). "U.S. F-16 fighter jet shoots down an armed Turkish drone over Syria". CBS News. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  7. ^ Epstein, Jake; Panella, Chris (5 October 2023). "A US F-16 fighter jet shot down a Turkish drone, taking out another NATO ally's aircraft over Syria". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  8. ^ Hambling, David (6 October 2023). "Pentagon Says It Shot Down Turkish Drone Over Syria; Turkish Military Says It Was Not Theirs". Forbes. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  9. ^ Altman, Howard (5 October 2023). "U.S. F-16 Shoots Down Turkish Drone Over Syria (Updated)". The Drive. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  10. ^ "US F-16C Fighter Jet Downs Turkish ANKA-S Drone in Syria". Defence Security Asia. 6 October 2023. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  11. ^ Minute, Turkish (12 October 2023). "US F-16s that downed Turkish drone in Syria took off from Jordan, not Turkey: ministry". Turkish Minute. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  12. ^ "LIVE — Erdoğan". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  13. ^ Sabah, Daily (10 October 2023). "Türkiye will do what is 'necessary' after US downing of drone". Daily Sabah. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.