Current:Home > NewsSignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:US shoots down Turkish drone after it came too close to US troops in Syria -AssetTrainer
SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:US shoots down Turkish drone after it came too close to US troops in Syria
TradeEdge Exchange View
Date:2025-04-09 09:25:08
WASHINGTON (AP) — The SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank CenterU.S. military on Thursday shot down a Turkish drone that had come in too close to U.S. troops on the ground in Hasakah, Syria, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press. One official said the drone was armed.
The official also said the shootdown was ordered after more than a dozen calls to Turkish military officials stating U.S. forces were on the ground in the area and the U.S. military would engage in self-defense if the drone didn’t leave the area.
The other official said the drone had been flying in an “unsafe” and “unsychronized” manner. Typically, the U.S. and Turkish militaries, which are NATO allies, work in close coordination in conducting air maneuvers. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the incident before an announcement.
The U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria conducting missions to counter Islamic State group militants.
The incident follows intensified airstrikes Wednesday by Turkey in Iraq and Syria against Kurdish militant targets following a suicide attack outside Turkey’s interior ministry building earlier this week.
In a press conference following the attack, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkish intelligence officials have established that the two assailants arrived from Syria, where they had been trained. He said Turkey would now target facilities in Syria and Iraq belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, or its affiliated Kurdish militia group in Syria, which is known as People’s Defense Units, or YPG.
The incident risks adding to longstanding tensions between Turkey and the United States, even as Turkey is a strategically important ally and NATO member. U.S. officials and lawmakers have criticized Turkey’s human rights record and its delays in agreeing to Swedish membership in NATO. Turkey has been frustrated by U.S. delays in approving 40 new F-16 fighter jets as well as kits to upgrade its existing fleet.
In 2016, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the U.S. of supporting a failed coup attempt against his government. The U.S. has flatly rejected the claims but has also refused to extradite the leader of the group Erdogan claims was behind the attempt, cleric Fetullah Gulen, who lives in exile in Pennsylvania.
The U.S. has designated the PKK as a “foreign terrorist organization” but has declined to make a similar determination regarding the YPK, which have been a key partner of the U.S. in the fight against the Islamic State group in northern Syria. The U.S. does not believe the YPG represents a threat to Turkey.
As recently as Wednesday, the State Department said there was no change in how the U.S. regards the YPG.
___
Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed.
veryGood! (722)
Related
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Proof Ariana Madix & New Man Daniel Wai Are Going Strong After Explosive Vanderpump Rules Reunion
- As Congress Launches Month of Climate Hearings, GOP Bashes Green New Deal
- America’s Energy Future: What the Government Misses in Its Energy Outlook and Why It Matters
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Tony Awards 2023: The Complete List of Winners
- Dyson Flash Sale: Save $200 on the TP7A Air Purifier & Fan During This Limited-Time Deal
- Clues From Wines Grown in Hot, Dry Regions May Help Growers Adapt to a Changing Climate
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Lin Wood, attorney who challenged Trump's 2020 election loss, gives up law license
Ranking
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Clues From Wines Grown in Hot, Dry Regions May Help Growers Adapt to a Changing Climate
- Blur Pores and Get Makeup That Lasts All Day With a 2-For-1 Deal on Benefit Porefessional Primer
- Why Jennie Ruby Jane Is Already Everyone's Favorite Part of The Idol
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Bud Light sales continue to go flat during key summer month
- Brian Austin Green Slams Claim Ex Megan Fox Forces Sons to Wear Girls Clothes
- A $20 Uniqlo Shoulder Bag Has Gone Viral on TikTok: Here’s Why It Exceeds the Hype
Recommendation
Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
A Shantytown’s Warning About Climate Change and Poverty from Hurricane-Ravaged Bahamas
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Faces Civil Rights Complaint After Key Permit Is Blocked
Shark attacks, sightings in New York and Florida put swimmers on high alert
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Nine Years After Filing a Lawsuit, Climate Scientist Michael Mann Wants a Court to Affirm the Truth of His Science
New study finds PFAS forever chemicals in drinking water from 45% of faucets across U.S.
Warming Trends: GM’S EVs Hit the Super Bowl, How Not to Waste Food and a Prize for Climate Solutions