The U.S. military shot down a Turkish drone over the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces-controlled zone in Northeaster Syria’s Al-Hasaka province according to multiple news reports.
Local sources say, Turkish soldiers targeted civil installations and oil facilities in Hasaka, as well as a number of other areas, on Thursday.
The strikes come in response to an attack in the Kurdish city of Ankara on Sunday claimed by the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) militant group, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization and has been at odds with the Turkish state for decades, demanding autonomy for Turkey’s Kurdish population.
The Turkish military carried out airstrikes in Iraq on Sunday on targets that it claimed were connected to the PKK, according to the Turkish Minister of Defense.
According to the Saudi Arabian state-supported media site Al-Monitor, an American F-16 shot down the drone that was brought down on Thursday.
Turkey asserts that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, whom the United States helped fight against ISIS extremists in Syria, are affiliated with the PKK.
A number of hundred American soldiers are stationed in northeastern Syria and are engaged in ongoing military operations against ISIS in collaboration with the SDF.
CBS reports that U.S. forces issued multiple warnings to the Turkish military, before opening fire on the UAV.
