In an incident over Syria, it has been alleged that a U.S. F-16, which was responsible for shooting down a Turkish SİHA (unmanned aerial vehicle), took off from Incirlik Air Base. Incirlik Air Base, a facility utilized by the U.S. Air Force, Turkish Air Force, and the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom, has come under the spotlight due to this event.
The United States considered the Turkish SİHA a ‘threat’ in Syria, leading to its downing. Initially, Turkish authorities argued that the downed SİHA did not belong to Turkey. However, in a statement issued by the Foreign Minister this morning, it was officially confirmed that the shot-down UAV indeed belonged to Turkey.
Retired Admiral Türker Ertürk, providing insights during a live broadcast on Halk TV, asserted that the U.S. F-16 responsible for downing Turkey’s SİHA had taken off from Incirlik Air Base in Adana. Ertürk questioned the situation, saying, “Who was behind the downing of this UAV? It was an American F-16 taking off from Incirlik. Where did it take off from? Incirlik Air Base. While you conduct operations beyond our borders in the interest of Anatolian security, an aircraft taking off from our own territory shoots down our UAV.”
