US shoots down Turkish drone after it came too close to US troops in Syria

By TARA COPP
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.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, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.

The 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 official 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 PKK, or its affiliated Kurdish militia group in Syria, which is known as People’s Defense Units, or YPG.