Ulrike Franke

US had confirmed that it has shot down an armed Turkish #drone over north-east Syria using an F16.
The drone was not targeting US troops but came close enough to be considered a threat to US troops.

https://apnews.com/article/syria-turkey-shot-down-06b5b407e91ffb3d41096bbfe5f1ef75

US shoots down Turkish drone in Syria; came close to troops

The Pentagon says the U.S. military shot down an armed Turkish drone that came within 500 meters of American troops in northeastern Syria. It was a rare use of force by one NATO member against another. Air Force Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, called it a “regrettable incident” and said U.S. troops were forced to go to bunkers for safety as Turkey bombed targets nearby. He says U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Turkish counterpart about the incident Thursday and underscored the importance of close coordination between their two countries to prevent risks to U.S. forces or to the mission to defeat Islamic State militants in the region.

AP News
Oct 5, 2023 at 7:08pmWeb
Show threadUlrike FrankeOct 5, 2023

https://apnews.com/article/syria-turkey-shot-down-06b5b407e91ffb3d41096bbfe5f1ef75

“The officials said the shootdown was ordered after more than a dozen calls to Turkish military officials stating that U.S. forces were on the ground in the area and that the U.S. military would take action to protect them if the drone didn’t leave.”

US shoots down Turkish drone in Syria; came close to troops

The Pentagon says the U.S. military shot down an armed Turkish drone that came within 500 meters of American troops in northeastern Syria. It was a rare use of force by one NATO member against another. Air Force Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, called it a “regrettable incident” and said U.S. troops were forced to go to bunkers for safety as Turkey bombed targets nearby. He says U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Turkish counterpart about the incident Thursday and underscored the importance of close coordination between their two countries to prevent risks to U.S. forces or to the mission to defeat Islamic State militants in the region.

AP News
Show threadIntelScoutOct 5, 2023
@rikefranke I still find it to be a rather extreme reaction don't you think ?
Show threadUlrike FrankeOct 5, 2023
@recon_officer It’s a bit surprising, but I find it difficult to judge - if they were actually throwing bombs near US troops and didn’t react to messages there might have been a real threat? And in that case, better for US to shoot down Turkish drone than for Turkey to accidentally kill a US soldier…
Show threadIntelScoutOct 5, 2023
@rikefranke What surprises me is that the Turkish side did not pick up the phone. 🧐
Show threadUlrike FrankeOct 5, 2023
@recon_officer yeah, but could be a communication problem, or a time issue…
We just don’t know which side was reckless here.
Show threadIntelScoutOct 5, 2023
@rikefranke I expect more info to become available as time goes by, so lets wait and see.
Show threadAlbert LeeOct 5, 2023
@rikefranke @recon_officer The Turkish intelligence service had been claiming to run ops in the area, and they do operate Ankas and TB2s, so it's probably them if the Turkish military keeps denying that it was theirs https://www.reuters.com/world/turkish-officials-says-ground-operation-into-syria-an-option-after-bombing-2023-10-05/
Turkish official says ground operation into Syria an option after bombing

A ground operation into Syria is one option Turkey could consider, a defence ministry official said on Thursday after Ankara found that two attackers who had set off a bomb near government buildings <a href="/world/middle-east/explosion-heard-turkish-capital-media-report-2023-10-01/">at the weekend</a> had come from Syria.

Reuters