The Foreign Ministry on Friday acknowledged that the country “lost” an armed uncrewed aerial vehicle in Syria, but it did not, in any way, affect operations in Türkiye’s southern neighbor where a terrorist group targeting Türkiye is based.
Media reports on Thursday said U.S. forces had shot down a Turkish drone in an area of Syria controlled by the YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist group. Türkiye is known for its precision strikes in the area, and counterterrorism operations have escalated after Sunday’s terrorist attack in Ankara by the PKK.
The ministry said in a statement that Türkiye launched strikes to destroy terrorist group targets in Syria’s north and “lost” an armed uncrewed aerial vehicle “due to different technical assessments of de-confliction mechanism run by third parties. Necessary measures are being taken for a more efficient operation of the mechanism by related parties,” the statement said.
“The incident did not affect the conduct of the ongoing operation and strikes of the targets. All capabilities of the terrorist group and its source of income in Syria will be systemically destructed like it is done in Iraq,” the statement said. Türkiye earlier announced that its targets in Syria in operations against the PKK/YPG would cover everything, from infrastructure to energy facilities the terrorist group controlled. Security sources said Turkish operations struck oil facilities the terrorist group owned, with photos circulating on social media showing smoke rising from one such facility after a reported Turkish hit.
In response to a question about a U.S. fighter jet shooting down a Turkish drone in Hassakeh, Syria, Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder said on Thursday: "Türkiye is one of our strongest and most valued NATO allies, and that partnership continues and will continue. So this is certainly a regrettable incident.” Ryder said a Turkish uncrewed aerial vehicle entered a “restricted operating zone” (ROZ) on a heading toward where U.S. forces were located, and U.S. commanders assessed it as a “potential threat.” He noted that they have “no indication” that Türkiye was intentionally targeting U.S. forces.
The two sides will continue to “closely coordinate to prevent putting U.S. forces at risk,” he said.
On Friday, the head of the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications announced that Türkiye would continue to “fight terrorism wherever it arises” as the cross-border operations heated up.
“We will continue to fight terrorism wherever it emanates from. We will extinguish it at its source, be it in northern Iraq, northern Syria or elsewhere,” Fahrettin Altun said on X. “We will not bow down to their threats and we will not compromise our security,” Altun added.
Terrorist groups that have taken refuge in neighboring countries continue to attack Türkiye, he said. “The latest despicable terrorist attack in Ankara failed to reach its goal. But it is a reminder that our fight against terrorism at home and abroad is pushing them toward desperate attacks,” Altun said.
“As our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says often, we might suddenly knock on your door one night. Those who dare test our resolve will meet the fate of those we have dealt with in the past,” Altun interpreted the words of the Turkish leader, pledging to track down these terrorists no matter where they might hide.
“We expect and call upon our allies and partners to recognize the PKK and its offshoots in the region for what they are and end their support. As our President Erdogan says, there is no good terrorist.” He added that the most effective approach for Türkiye’s allies to combat terrorism is by fostering close coordination and collaboration with Türkiye.
Türkiye has suffered from and has extensive knowledge of the challenges posed by terrorism in this region, he said, adding: “Aiding and abetting these groups for strategic reasons is simply a colossal folly.”
