A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper was mistakenly shot down in northern Syria on Dec. 9 by the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces, U.S. officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
The Kurdish-led SDF is the United States’ principal partner in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria, and the downing of the American MQ-9 appears to have been a case of mistaken identity. The group has been battling the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army for control in northern Syria, where Turkish drones have been operating against the SDF.
“The incident was a result of friendly fire from partner forces conducting operations in the region who misidentified the unmanned aircraft as a threat,” a U.S. defense official told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The drone was operating on a mission as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the campaign against the Islamic State group, the defense official said.
The downing of the U.S. MQ-9 was first reported by CNN. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed the downing of the drone.
“There’s been no change to our partnership with the SDF when it comes to ensuring the defeat of ISIS,” Singh said Dec. 11.
Images that appeared on social media on Dec. 9 show what appeared to be the largely intact wreckage of an MQ-9 in northern Syria. It was later intentionally destroyed, according to the defense official.
“U.S. forces have recovered appropriate aircraft components and destroyed the remaining portions of the aircraft,” the official said. “U.S. Air Forces Central is actively assessing the actions that led to the incident and will adjust tactics, techniques, and procedures to safeguard U.S., coalition, and partner forces and their associated assets.”
The SDF released a video of the downing of what it identified as a Turkish drone on Dec. 10. It is unclear whether that incident was related to the downing of the MQ-9.
The fighting in Syria is complex, with many different parties. The U.S. and Turkey are NATO allies, but Turkey has long regarded the SDF as an adversary, even as the U.S. and SDF have worked together. In October 2023, a U.S. F-16 downed a Turkish drone when it tried to target SDF forces near U.S. troops. The U.S. has urged Turkey and the militias it supports to avoid conflict with the SDF in recent days in the wake of the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria on Dec. 8.
The SDF and Turkish-backed rebels agreed to a U.S.-mediated ceasefire on Dec. 9 in Manbij, which called for the SDF to pull out of the northern border city, where there had been heavy fighting. The SDF is trying to stop the Turkish-backed rebels from advancing further and aims to prevent the capture of the primarily Kurdish city of Kobane.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) boss Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla visited Syria and met with SDF leaders and U.S. service members on Dec. 10. The U.S. has some 900 troops in Syria as part of the mission to defeat the remnants of the Islamic State attempting to make a comeback.
That same day, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. called his Turkish counterpart to emphasize U.S. concerns. That call followed a call from U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III earlier in the week to his Turkish counterpart. On the diplomatic front, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is heading to Turkey on Dec. 13 in a bid to prevent further escalation of violence in Syria.
The U.S. military conducted a punishing series of airstrikes against the Islamic State on Dec. 8 with U.S. Air Force B-52s, F-15Es, and A-10s in an attempt to stop the group from exploiting the current instability in the country.