Turkey shot down unidentified drone on Syria border: Defence Ministry

The Turkish military has claimed to have shot down an unidentified drone on its border with Syria on September 28. The Defense Ministry said that the drone allegedly breached Turkish airspace six times. The Defense Ministry shared the pictures of downed drones and said that the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which violated the air space six times was brought down by two F-16 fighter aircraft which took off from Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey. The Ministry reported that it was not clear who the drone belonged to and said it was grounded 1324 (1024 GMT) local time. The debris of the drone was found at the Cildiroba base by the Turkish military unit at the Kilis province in close proximity to the Syrian border.

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Turkish air force shot down a Russian Su-24 aircraft

Earlier the Turkish air force shot down a Russian Su-24, aircraft in the Syria-Turkey border area in 2015 due to an unprecedented crisis in the relations between the two countries. The shooting down of the aircraft was condemned by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He termed the incident as a 'stab in the back'.The two nations later reconciled, united and worked together on the Syrian crisis although they remain on opposite sides of the conflict. Turkey supports the rebels who seek President Bashar al-Assad to be thrown out of the presidential position while on the other hand, Moscow is one of the few remaining allies of the regime in Damascus.

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Syria-Turkey Relations

Turkey shares its longest common border with Syria. The different historical and geographical links also tie the two neighboring countries together. The tensions between Turkey and Syria escalated due to the disputes which include annexation of the Hatay Province to Turkey in 1939, water disputes resulting from the Southeastern Anatolia Project and Syria's support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party. The Syrian civil war has escalated the tensions between the two countries which resulted in the suspension of diplomatic relations.

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