US Shoots Down Turkish Drone flying Over Syria

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U.S. F-16 fighter jets shot an armed Turkish drone out of the skies Thursday over northeastern Syria after the drone flew too close to U.S. troops on the ground.

Pentagon officials said U.S. commanders observed the drone early Thursday when Turkish forces carried out a series of drone strikes near Hasakah, just a kilometer away from where U.S forces were based.

The U.S. troops were sent to their bunkers while efforts were made to communicate with Turkish commanders. But when the armed drone approached again later, coming within half a kilometer of U.S. forces, the decision was made to shoot it down.

“This is certainly a regrettable incident,” Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Thursday, defending the decision to shoot down the drone.

“Based on the observation of airstrikes being conducted and the fact that this drone was upwards of nearly half a kilometer from U.S. forces, U.S. commanders made the determination that it was a self-defense threat,” he said. “Appropriate action was taken.”