2023 Turkish drone shootdown explained

Occurrence Type:Shootdown
Summary:Shot-down by a US F-16
Site:Near 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.[3]

Events

See main article: October 2023 Northeastern Syria clashes. According to US officials cited by Politico, a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 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.[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. 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. 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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Seligman . Lara . 2023-10-05 . U.S. F-16 shoots down Turkish drone flying over American troops in Syria . 2023-10-05 . POLITICO . en . 5 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231005213650/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/05/u-s-f-16-shoots-down-turkish-drone-flying-over-u-s-forces-in-syria-00120166 . live .
  2. News: Ali . Idrees . Hayatsever . Huseyin . Ali . Idrees . 2023-10-05 . US jet shoots down Turkish drone in Syria, Pentagon says . en . Reuters . 2023-10-05 . 17 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231017233715/https://www.reuters.com/world/turkish-officials-says-ground-operation-into-syria-an-option-after-bombing-2023-10-05/ . live .
  3. Web site: 2023-10-05 . Turkey Intensifies Drone Attacks on Kurdish-Held Northern Syria . 2023-10-05 . VOA . en . 5 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231005210159/https://www.voanews.com/a/turkey-intensifies-drone-attacks-on-kurdish-held-northern-syria/7298335.html . live .
  4. Web site: 2023-10-05 . US reportedly shoots down armed Turkish drone operating near American troops in Syria . 2023-10-05 . The Independent . en . 6 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006015837/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-drone-shot-turkey-syria-b2424841.html . live .
  5. Web site: 2023-10-05 . US shoots down armed Turkish drone after it came too close to US troops in Syria . 2023-10-05 . AP News . en . 13 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231013020440/https://apnews.com/article/syria-turkey-shot-down-06b5b407e91ffb3d41096bbfe5f1ef75 . live .
  6. Web site: 2023-10-05 . U.S. F-16 fighter jet shoots down an armed Turkish drone over Syria - CBS News . 2023-10-05 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US . 12 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231012002118/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-f-16-shoots-down-armed-drone-turkey/ . live .
  7. Web site: Epstein . Jake . Panella . Chris . 2023-10-05 . A US F-16 fighter jet shot down a Turkish drone, taking out another NATO ally's aircraft over Syria . 2023-10-05 . Business Insider . 6 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006002257/https://www.businessinsider.com/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-turkish-drone-nato-ally-aircraft-2023-10 . live .
  8. Web site: Pentagon Says It Shot Down Turkish Drone Over Syria; Turkish Military Says It Was Not Theirs. 6 October 2023. David. Hambling. . 7 October 2023. 7 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231007231628/https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2023/10/06/pentagon-says-it-shot-down-turkish-drone-over-syria-turkey-says-it-was-not-theirs/?sh=78d48101446f. live.
  9. Web site: Altman . Howard . 2023-10-05 . U.S. F-16 Shoots Down Turkish Drone Over Syria (Updated) . 2023-10-07 . The Drive . en . 7 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007075702/https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/u-s-f-16-shoots-down-turkish-drone-over-syria . live .
  10. Web site: @DefSecAsia2020 . 2023-10-06 . US F-16C Fighter Jet Downs Turkish ANKA-S Drone in Syria. . 2023-10-07 . Defence Security Asia . en-GB . 7 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231007043603/https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/anka-american-shot-down/ . live .
  11. Web site: Minute . Turkish . 2023-10-12 . US F-16s that downed Turkish drone in Syria took off from Jordan, not Turkey: ministry . 2023-10-12 . Turkish Minute . en-US.
  12. Web site: LIVE — Erdoğan . 2023-10-10 . X (formerly Twitter) . en.
  13. Web site: Sabah . Daily . 2023-10-10 . Türkiye will do what is 'necessary' after US downing of drone . 2023-10-12 . Daily Sabah . en-US . 18 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231018132149/https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/war-on-terror/turkiye-will-do-what-is-necessary-after-us-downing-of-drone . live .

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