A Turkish F-16 that took off from the Incirlik airbase in the southern province of Adana shot down the Syrian aircraft with two missiles on May 16, military officials told daily Hürriyet.
It was not immediately clear what kind of aircraft was shot down.
"The area is being searched for the crashed aircraft. It would soon be seen if it was a plane or a helicopter," the source said.
Turkish locals told daily Hürriyet that a Syrian military plane violated the Turkish border twice in the Dursunlu-Emek area of the southern border province of Hatay. They added that the aircraft fell into the Syrian side of the border in three pieces.
Syrian state media said what had been shot down was a small, remotely controlled surveillance drone, according to Reuters.
The May 16 incident was not the first time that the two countries air forces engaged militarily.
A Turkish F-4 Phantom warplane crashed into the Mediterranean on June 22, 2012, after being shot down by Syria.
On Sept 16, 2013, the Turkish Air Force shot down a Syrian helicopter at the border after it reportedly violated Turkey's airspace.
Turkish fighter jets also downed a Syrian jet on March 23, 2014, after it crossed into Turkish airspace, a week before local elections.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Secretary General Gürsel Tekin had claimed earlier this month that Turkey had plans to launch a military operation in Syria before the June 7 general elections.
Turkish government officials strictly denied the claim last week....
[hurriyetdailynews.com]
16/5/15
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Turkey says shot down helicopter, while Syrian TV says it was drone...
ReplyDeleteTurkey said it shot down a Syrian helicopter on Saturday that had violated its airspace, while Syrian state media said it was a remotely controlled surveillance drone.
NATO member Turkey, an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has a 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria and frequently scrambles jets to its frontier worried about territorial violations.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said military jets fired upon a Syrian helicopter after first mistaking it for another type of aircraft due to fog.
"There are rules of engagement," Davutoglu was quoted as saying by NTV news channel's website.
"Our jets responded and later that helicopter crashed within Syria's borders ... The authority we have given the Turkish Armed Forces is extremely clear. Whoever violates Turkish borders, be it by land or by air, will be punished."
Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said jets shot at the helicopter shortly after 2 p.m. (7 a.m. EDT). It crossed over into Turkish airspace for seven miles, over a period of five minutes, before it was fired upon, he said, according to the Anadolu News Agency's website.
But Syrian state TV denied Turkey had taken out its aircraft and said it was a surveillance drone that was shot down......REUTERS