Erdogan threatens retaliation for US shooting down of Turkish UAV

President Erdogan has vowed to take "necessary action" in response to the US shooting down of a Turkish armed drone in Syria.

"The incident is deeply engraved in our national consciousness and the necessary action will be taken at the appropriate time. There is no doubt about that," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters after a cabinet meeting on October 9.

The remarks came as Erdogan addressed the US fighter jet shooting down a Turkish armed drone in northern Syria last week. This was the first time Ankara confirmed that the downed UAV belonged to Turkey, but the Turkish president did not specify what specific actions would be taken in response.

President Erdogan after a cabinet meeting in Ankara on October 9. Photo: AFP

Two unnamed US officials said that a US F-16 fighter jet shot down a Turkish drone over Syria on October 5, emphasizing that the aircraft was carrying weapons at the time of the incident and that Washington had repeatedly tried to contact Ankara to warn it that it was operating near US forces.

The incident also marked the first time the US had shot down a Turkish aircraft, a NATO ally. Turkish defense officials later denied that the UAV belonged to the country’s armed forces, but declined to comment on who owned the aircraft.

Türkiye launched airstrikes against Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq after a suicide bombing in the capital Ankara on October 1 that lightly injured two police officers. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the two attackers "came from Syria and were trained there."

The US maintains a small number of troops in Syria to support the campaign against the Islamic State (IS) and protect oil facilities controlled by Kurdish forces. About 700 US troops are stationed at al-Shaddadi base, near the northeastern Syrian city of al-Hasakah, and 200 are stationed at al-Tanf base near the Syrian-Jordanian border.

Vu Anh (According to Reuters )

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