US shoots down Turkish drone in Syria
US State Department officials have admitted to shooting down a Turkish military drone while carrying out attacks on Kurdish positions in Syria.
It is the first time that Washington has shot down a plane from a NATO allied country. The incident occurred on Thursday when the Turkish army was launching a series of air strikes against US-allied Kurdish militants located in northeastern Syria. The bombings reportedly killed at least nine people. The Pentagon says the Turkish drone had approached US forces in Syria. "It's certainly a regrettable incident," said spokesman Pat Ryder, explaining that the drone was approaching American troops and commanders on the ground decided it was "a potential threat" and had it shot down by an F16.
