Turkey Blames Technical Woes for Wayward Drone Shot Down by US

USA – Voice of America

An armed drone shot down by U.S. F-16 fighter jets after it got too close to U.S. troops in northeastern Syria approached by accident, according to a statement from Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry issued the explanation Friday, one day after the incident near Hasakah, Syria forced U.S. forces to take cover in their bunkers.

“One UCAV [unmanned combat aerial vehicle] was lost due to different technical assessments in the deconfliction mechanism with third parties,” according to the statement.

“Necessary measures are being taken to ensure a more effective operation of the deconfliction mechanism with the relevant parties,” it said.

Pentagon officials confirmed the shootdown of the Turkish drone Thursday, following high-level calls between U.S. and Turkish defense and military officials.

Pentagon press secretary, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, told reporters the Turkish drone got as close as half a kilometer from U.S. forces when it was shot down.

He called the incident “regrettable” but said U.S. commanders on the ground made the right decision.

“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.”

Ryder said U.S. forces made multiple attempts to contact Turkish forces before shooting down the drone.

After the shootdown, both U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General CQ Brown spoke by phone with their Turkish counterparts.

The Pentagon described the call between Austin and Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler, “fruitful.”

Turkey has been carrying out a series of airstrikes across northern Syria in retaliation for a terror attack Sunday, claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, that killed two police officers at Turkey’s Interior Ministry.

In its statement Friday, Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said operations against PKK targets and infrastructure would continue.

The U.S. downing of the Turkish drone “has in no way affected the execution of the ongoing operations and the striking of identified targets,” the ministry said. “All capabilities and sources of income developed by the terrorist organization in Syria will continue to be systematically eliminated.”

Both Ankara and Washington view the PKK as a terror organization. But Turkey views the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, as an extension of the PKK, while the U.S. has supported the SDF as a key partner in the fight against the Islamic State terror group.

“When it comes to the PKK, we recognize and have declared the PKK a foreign terrorist organization and again, fully understand Turkey’s legitimate right to defend itself,” Ryder said.

As for the hostilities between Turkey and the SDF and other Kurdish groups in northeastern Syria, Ryder said the U.S. would continue to urge all sides to de-escalate to allow U.S. and coalition forces to focus on eliminating the last Islamic State terror cells in the region.