Allies At War
Turkey, US Tread Fine Line After Downing of Turkish Drone in Syria
The U.S. went into a damage control mode to avoid an escalation with NATO ally Turkey after the shooting of a Turkish drone in northern Syria.
The U.S. officials scrambled on Thursday to assuage the nerves of their Turkish allies after an American F-16 fighter jet shot down an armed Turkish drone in northern Syria, where the spotted UAV was hovering very close to a U.S. base.
It was the first time a NATO ally took direct military action against another member. The incident occurred amid a massive air campaign undertaken by the Turkish Air Force against Kurdish militant positions across northern Syria after a suicide bombing attack in Ankara, the Turkish capital, earlier this week. In retaliation, the Turkish fighter jets and drones pounded militant hideouts and bases in northern Iraq and Syria.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, recognizing the gravity of the situation, reached out to his Turkish counterpart Gen. Yasar Guler. “Following today’s incident, Secretary Austin also urged de-escalation in northern Syria and the importance of maintaining strict adherence to de-confliction protocols and communication through established…
