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A U.S. F-16 fighter jet shot down a Turkish drone flying over a base in northeast Syria where U.S. forces are located, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The drone, which belonged to the Turkish government, was armed with air-to-ground missiles and deemed a threat to the American troops and Syrian Democratic Forces at the Tal Baydar base, said the person, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.
The unmanned aerial system was a Bayraktar TB2 built by Turkish defense company Baykar, a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone built primarily for the Turkish armed forces, the person said. The Turkish defense ministry reportedly denied it owned the drone.
An American military aircraft’s shootdown of an unmanned aerial system belonging to a NATO ally is certain to escalate tensions between Washington and Ankara.
The U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria, focused on hunting Islamic State terrorists with local partners, the SDF.
The State Department declined to offer immediate comment on the shoot-down, which was first reported by Reuters.
