The U.S. military on Thursday shot down a Turkish drone that had come in too close to U.S. troops on the ground in Hasakah, Syria, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press. One official said the drone was armed.
The official also said the shootdown was ordered after more than a dozen calls to Turkish military officials stating U.S. forces were on the ground in the area and the U.S. military would engage in self-defense if the drone didn’t leave the area.
The other official said the drone had been flying in an “unsafe” and “unsychronized” manner. Typically, the U.S. and Turkish militaries, which are NATO allies, work in close coordination in conducting air maneuvers. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the incident before an announcement.
The U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria conducting missions to counter Islamic State group militants.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military on Thursday shot down a Turkish drone that had come in too close to U.S. troops on the ground in Hasakah, Syria, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
Typically, the U.S. and Turkish militaries, which are NATO allies, work in close coordination in conducting air maneuvers.
U.S. officials and lawmakers have criticized Turkey’s human rights record and its delays in agreeing to Swedish membership in NATO.
Turkey has been frustrated by U.S. delays in approving 40 new F-16 fighter jets as well as kits to upgrade its existing fleet.
In 2016, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the U.S. of supporting a failed coup attempt against his government.
The U.S. has designated the PKK as a “foreign terrorist organization” but has declined to make a similar determination regarding the YPK, which have been a key partner of the U.S. in the fight against the Islamic State group in northern Syria.
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Begun the drone wars have.
