Erdogan threatens retaliation for US shooting down 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 psyche 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 statement came as Mr. Erdogan mentioned the US fighter jet shooting down an armed Turkish drone in northern Syria last week. This is the first time Ankara has confirmed that the downed UAV belonged to this country, but the Turkish President did not mention specific actions in response.

President Erdogan after a cabinet meeting in Ankara on October 9. Photo: AFP — 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 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 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, which are controlled by Kurdish forces. About 700 US troops are stationed at al-Shaddadi base, near the city of al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria, and 200 are stationed at al-Tanf base near the Syrian-Jordanian border.

Vu Anh (According to Reuters )

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