US military F-16 shoots down Turkish drone in northeastern Syria

A US F-16 fighter jet shot down an armed Turkish drone operating near US military personnel and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the town of Heseke in northeastern Syria. Officials with knowledge of the incident told CNN that the US assessed that the armed drone posed a potential threat and issued more than a dozen warnings before shooting it down. The officials said US forces were exercising their right to self-defense when they shot down the drone.

Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder said Turkish drones were seen conducting airstrikes in Heseke on Thursday morning, about 1 km from US troops. A few hours later, a Turkish drone came within less than half a kilometer of US troops and was deemed a threat and shot down by F-16s. US officials told the Associated Press that the shootdown was ordered after Turkish military officials were called more than a dozen times to state that US forces were in the area and that the US military would take action to protect them if the drone did not leave the area.

According to Reuters, an official from the Turkish defense ministry said the drone did not belong to the Turkish armed forces. There was no further explanation as to whose property it was. The US has never before shot down an aircraft that belonged to Turkey, a member of NATO.