The Turkish General Staff reports on its website that the air force of this country, while patrolling the airspace on the Turkish border, was shot down by an aircraft of unknown nationality.
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Official sources do not report the type of aircraft. It could be either an unmanned vehicle or an airplane. According to the General Staff, before destroying the object, he was given three warnings.
The information was also confirmed by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, who stated that the Turkish fighter acted in accordance with the “requirements of the rules of engagement,” which provide for the destruction of objects that refuse to leave Turkish territory. The official also promised that “as soon as the situation becomes clearer, the Turkish Air Force will make a corresponding statement.”
On October 3, the country's airspace was violated for a short period of time by a Russian combat aircraft landing at its home airfield in the Latakia region. This incident provoked a sharp reaction from Ankara and NATO, whose representatives said that Turkey had every right to shoot down the Russian plane. Previously, this fate befell a Syrian Air Force combat helicopter, which, according to the Turkish side, ended up in the airspace of that country.
With the start of Russian bombing in Syria, the Turkish government declares the need to declare the northern regions of this country, located along the Turkish border, a no-fly security zone in order to protect Syrian refugees from possible airstrikes, as well as to eliminate incidents between the air forces of the two countries. Rebel groups are concentrated in northern Syria and are fighting the Assad regime with the support of Turkey. And it is these areas that are subject to the most massive attacks by the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Turkey's support for a no-fly zone is part of what Turkey wants in exchange for its involvement in solving Europe's refugee crisis. This idea was also warmly supported by Hilary Clinton, the former Secretary of State in the Obama administration and the main contender to become the Democratic Party candidate in the upcoming US elections. However, European leaders, not wanting to enter into direct confrontation with Russia, respond evasively to this Turkish initiative. At yesterday's European summit on the refugee problem, this issue did not receive an unambiguous assessment.
Air incident the day before Visit to the country of Angela Merkel, the main supporter of coordination between the European Union and Turkey, will certainly become an additional trump card for Turkish President Erdogan at Sunday's negotiations in Ankara.