The Pentagon says United States warplanes have shot down a Turkish drone, which was deemed a threat to its forces in Syria, in an incident that might raise tensions between the NATO allies.The drone, which belonged to the Turkish government, was armed with air-to-ground missiles and deemed a threat to the American troops and Syrian Democratic Forces at the Tal Baydar base.
A U.S. F-16 fighter jet shot down a Turkish drone that was flying over a base in northeast Syria where American forces are located, a Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday.
At 7:30 a.m. local time, U.S. forces observed unmanned aerial systems conducting airstrikes near Hasakah, in northeast Syria, including some just a kilometer away from the American troops, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters during a briefing. The airstrikes were inside a declared U.S. restricted operating zone, and the troops relocated to bunkers, he said.
