Damascus: A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone was shot down in Syria earlier this week by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US defence official has said.
“The incident was a result of friendly fire from partner forces conducting operations in the region who misidentified the unmanned aircraft as a threat,” the official told the Air & Space Forces Magazine.
The drone was on a mission against the Islamic State (IS, banned in Russia) terrorist group on Monday, the official added.
“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 official also said.
The incident has not affected the partnership between the Pentagon and the Kurdish-led military, they added.
