Footage of a drone, ostensibly exploding in the air in Hasaka, went viral on social media. Several news outlets later reported that it was a Turkish drone that was downed by US air forces.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder confirmed in a press briefing late Thursday that the drone was shot down by US forces.
“At approximately 7:30 local time in Syria today, our forces had observed UAVs conducting airstrikes in the vicinity of Hasaka, Syria. Some of those strikes were inside a declared US-restricted operating zone (ROZ) near Hasaka and were approximately a kilometer away from US forces who relocated to bunkers,” said the spokesperson.
“At approximately 11:30 local time, a Turkish UAV re-entered the ROZ, heading towards where US forces were located. US commanders assessed that the UAV, which was... less than a half-kilometer from US forces, to be a potential threat and US F-16 fighters subsequently shot down the UAV in self-defense at approximately 11:40 local time,” he added.
He also said that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Turkish defense minister Yasar Guler spoke on the phone regarding the “regrettable incident.”A Turkish drone was shot down in the Hasakah countryside, northeastern Syria pic.twitter.com/yw3FMfsCvd
— Ivan Hassib (@Ivan_Hassib) October 5, 2023
“Earlier today Secretary Austin spoke by phone with Turkish minister of national defense Yasar Guler to discuss Turkish activity in proximity to US forces in Syria. The secretary reaffirmed that the United States remain in Syria exclusively in support of the campaign to defeat ISIS,” said the Pentagon spokesperson, referring to the Islamic State (ISIS).
“No US forces were injured during the incident. We have no indication that Turkey was intentionally targeting US forces,” noted Brigadier General Ryder.
Turkey on Thursday intensified its bombardment of Rojava, killing at least nine, said a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - the main ally of the US-led global coalition against ISIS in Syria.
Nine killed, including civilians
Two armed men on Sunday attacked the Turkish interior ministry in Ankara, injuring two police officers. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for the suicide attack. Since then, the Turkish army has intensified airstrikes against the alleged PKK positions in the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish forces in Rojava.
Turkey on Thursday intensified its bombardment of Rojava, killing at least nine, said a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - the main ally of the US-led global coalition against ISIS in Syria.
“The Turkish state is committing a war crime by targeting the infrastructure and civic services facilities, including four power stations, three oil fields, and factories. The most heavily impacted by these aggressions are primarily innocent #civilians,” Farhad Shami, head of SDF media center, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The drone attacks killed three civilians and six members of local security forces (Asayish), “who were guarding the targeted civic facilities,” according to the SDF spokesperson.
Turkish state media reported that Turkish intelligence had hit weapons and ammunition warehouses of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) - the backbone of the SDF.
Asayish said in a statement that at least six of its members and five civilians were killed, in addition to at least 10 injured.
The Kurdish Red Crescent said Turkish drones targeted the area near a camp for displaced people.
“Today, the people living in Washokani camp for displaced people, especially those visiting the Kurdish Red Crescent center, witnessed the strike of Turkish drones near the camp. The visitors and patients were forced to leave amidst a state of panic among the displaced,” said the organization in a post on X.
Turkish DHA media outlet reported that Kurdish YPG forces attacked Turkish armed forces in Syria’s Tel Rifaat. Five Turkish policemen and three soldiers were injured in the attack.
The Turkish defense ministry late Thursday stated that 30 alleged YPG-linked positions in Rojava were targeted, including oil wells. It claimed that numerous YPG members were "neutralized" in the strikes.
Turkey uses the term “neutralized” to denote adversaries captured, wounded, or killed.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday that any facility linked to the PKK in Iraq and Syria would constitute “legitimate targets,” for his country. He claimed that the two perpetrators of the Ankara attack had entered Turkey from Syria. The SDF has rejected the claim.
“Turkey is looking for pretexts to legitimize its ongoing attacks on our region and to launch a new military aggression that is of our deep concern. Threat to target the region's infrastructure, economic resources, and populated cities is a war crime, the thing we have witnessed before,” said Mazloum Abdi, general commander of the SDF, on Wednesday.
PKK is an armed group struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey but is proscribed as a terrorist organization by Ankara. Turkey also considers the YPG as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK.
Updated at 8:41 am
