Information
The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that US F-16 fighter jets shot down a Turkish armed drone “in self-defense” after it entered the prohibited operations zone declared by the US in Syria.
That is the primary time that the US has shot down an armed airplane belonging to Turkey, a NATO ally.
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Common Patrick Ryder mentioned Turkish drones had been conducting air strikes within the restricted space, however there was no indication that the Turks had been focusing on US forces. He added that the drone got here lower than one kilometer away from the American forces, who then entered the bunkers.
He added that no soldier was injured in the course of the incident.
A Turkish Protection Ministry official mentioned the drone didn’t belong to the Turkish Armed Forces, however didn’t present particulars.
Reuters reported that earlier within the day, Turkey’s Nationwide Intelligence Company bombed Kurdish militant targets in Syria after a bomb assault in Ankara. Last weekend.
Ryder mentioned that US Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin additionally spoke along with his Turkish counterpart Yasar Guler and the 2 dedicated to shut coordination within the area.