By Athena Papakosta

The US Pentagon admitted that US F-16 fighter jets shot down a Turkish drone on Thursday because it entered a restricted operations zone about 500 meters away from US troops taking cover in a stronghold in northeastern Syria.

Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder called the incident “regrettable,” adding that “the decision was made with due diligence and the inherent right of self-defense to take action to protect American forces.” He also clarified that “we have no indication that Turkey was intentionally targeting American forces.”

The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, spoke with his Turkish counterpart and stressed the importance of close cooperation between the two countries to prevent any risk against US forces or the International Coalition in the fight against the Islamic State.

Earlier, officials speaking on condition of anonymity said US forces had repeatedly warned Turkish officials that they were operating near their ground troops.

The US maintains about 900 troops in northeastern Syria, territory controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and a key ally in the fight against Islamic State. However, within the SDF, the leading force is the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization and an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). For the United States, the PKK is recognized as a foreign terrorist organization, but the Kurdish YPG militia is not.

Thursday’s episode could add further fuel to the smoldering fire between the United States and Turkey despite the fact that Ankara remains a strategically important ally of Washington and a member of NATO.

American officials have criticized Turkey many times over a range of human rights issues as well as Sweden’s delay in joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. At the same time, a source of concern for Washington is the deepening of Ankara’s relations with Moscow in various fields, especially in the military.

For its part, Turkey remains irritated with the US for delaying the sale of 40 F-16 fighter jets as well as for delaying the sale of a package (kit) to modernize its fleet.

In 2016, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States of supporting the failed coup against him. Washington has categorically denied the allegations and to this day has not extradited the person the Turkish president accuses of being behind the coup attempt, preacher Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in Pennsylvania.

Speaking to reporters, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder emphasized that “we stand firmly with our NATO ally, Turkey, and the Turkish people in their fight against the PKK.”

The incident followed Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish positions in Syria and Iraq, as Turkey blames them for last Sunday’s bombing in Ankara for which the PKK has claimed responsibility.

The United States has not shot down a Turkish jet again, despite tensions. It is noted that in 2019, US troops in northern Syria had received artillery fire from Turkish positions.