US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Keith James
- A US F-16 fighter jet shot down a Turkish drone in Syria on Thursday.
- The rare clash between two NATO members occurred after the drone was considered a threat to US forces in the area.
- The Pentagon's Press Secretary called it a "regrettable incident" and said US forces had cited self-defense in the shoot down.
A US military F-16 fighter jet downed a Turkish drone operating above Syria on Thursday, marking a rare clash between Washington and a NATO ally.
The American aircraft shot down the drone because it was considered to be a threat to US troops in the northeastern part of the country, The Wall Street Journal first reported, citing a person familiar with the incident. An American official told the outlet that US knew the drone — which was armed with air-to-ground munitions — belonged to Turkey before it acted.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based office that documents human rights abuses in Syria, said earlier Thursday that an "International Coalition" targeted the Turkish drone.
The Turkish military acknowledged that an unmanned aircraft was shot down but denied ownership of the drone, according to Reuters, which reported that two US officials said an F-16 shot down the Turkish unmanned aircraft after multiple warnings that the drone was operating too close to American forces.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) didn't respond to Insider's request for comment on the situation.
At a press briefing Thursday afternoon, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed the incident, calling it "regrettable" and noting that no US forces were injured and there was "no indication that Turkey was intentionally targeting US forces." He added that Turkey remains one of the US' strongest and most valued allies.
Ryder said US forces observed Turkish drones "conducting airstrikes" within the vicinity of Hasakah, Syria at 7:30 am local time, adding that some of those strikes were "inside a US declared restricted operating zone." The drones were approximately a kilometer from US forces, who relocated to bunkers. Hours later at 11:30 am local time, a Turkish drone reentered that restricted operating zone. US commanders assessed the drone was a "potential threat," leading the F-16 to shoot it down.
The US cited "inherent right of self defense" in its decision to shoot down the drone. He added that communication with Turkey "went to a high enough level with the operational chain of command" before the decision. A call between US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Turkey Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler occurred afterwards.
Turkey in recent days has stepped up a bombing campaign against what it says are Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria, blaming them for a suicide bombing in Ankara last weekend. Several people have been killed this week by the Turkish attacks, according to observers.
The US has around 900 troops deployed to Syria as part of an international coalition that works with local forces to carry out counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State. Most recently, American troops carried out two helicopter raids during the last week of September that each resulted in the capture of an ISIS official, according to US Central Command.
During the Pentagon press briefing Thursday, Ryder said US forces would "stay focused on the defeat ISIS mission in Syria."