2023 Turkish drone shootdown
TAI Anka-S drone of the Turkish Air Force
Occurrence
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

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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 4 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. ↑ "Turkey Intensifies Drone Attacks on Kurdish-Held Northern Syria". VOA. 5 October 2023. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "US reportedly shoots down armed Turkish drone operating near American troops in Syria". The Independent. 5 October 2023. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "US shoots down armed Turkish drone after it came too close to US troops in Syria". AP News. 5 October 2023. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "U.S. F-16 fighter jet shoots down an armed Turkish drone over Syria - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 5 October 2023. 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". 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. ↑ @DefSecAsia2020 (6 October 2023). "US F-16C Fighter Jet Downs Turkish ANKA-S Drone in Syria". Defence Security Asia. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  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.
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