The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the United States, have announced the successful downing of a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone near the Qaraqozak Bridge in northern Raqqa. 

The incident, which occurred on January 1, 2025, was announced by the SDF Media Center, which published footage showing the drone being shot down. 

The SDF statement read, “At exactly 1:00 p.m. today, our fighters successfully downed a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone in the Qaraqozak Bridge area.”

Footage of the downing, as well as images of the wreckage, have been circulating on social media, though the exact weapon system used to bring down the drone has not been disclosed. 

The Bayraktar TB2 is a popular Turkish drone used in several military campaigns including Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine.

Despite its cutting-edge tech, the SDF has demonstrated increasing proficiency in neutralizing such threats. In mid-December, the SDF released footage of another successful TB-2 drone shootdown. 

According to the SDF Media Center, the latest incident marks the third Turkish drone downed by SDF forces in the past month, highlighting their continued success in countering Turkish drone operations. 

The rise in drone confrontations in Syria is part of the broader geopolitical tensions involving the US, Turkey, and Kurdish forces. 

In addition to the SDF’s actions, a major incident occurred in October 2023 when a US Air Force F-16 shot down a Turkish drone that came dangerously close to American forces in northeastern Syria.

The drone, believed to be targeting Kurdish YPG militants near U.S. positions, prompted a rare use of force by NATO allies against one another. At the time, the US officials stated that multiple calls were made to Ankara in an attempt to redirect the drone before the decision was made to shoot it down. 

The Turkish government later denied that the drone involved was one of its own, though it did not clarify which party was responsible for its operation.  

It is widely believed that the drone was of the Anka-S type, a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle. 

The Anka-S is larger than the Bayraktar TB2, with a weapons payload of up to 200 kg (450 lbs), capable of carrying advanced weaponry like laser-guided anti-tank missiles and guided rocket pods.

SDF Accuses Turkey Of Ceasefire Violations

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have repeatedly accused Turkey and its allied opposition factions of breaching the ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States. 

The ceasefire, which was intended to bring stability to northern Syria, has been undermined by continued Turkish assaults on key strategic locations, including the outskirts of Kobani, the Tishreen Dam, and Ain Issa.

In a statement released by the SDF, they emphasized that “the Turkish state and its proxies are intensifying their aggression, ignoring all de-escalation efforts.” 

Despite the US acting as a mediator for the ceasefire agreement, the region remains rife with conflict, with both sides blaming the other for undermining the fragile truce.

On December 30, 2024, just two days before the incident involving the downing of a Turkish drone, the US Department of Defense confirmed that the ceasefire in the Manbij area was still holding. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated, “The ceasefire is holding in that northern part of Syria.”

However, recent clashes, including the drone downing, have shown the volatility of the situation and raised concerns about the potential for further escalations.

Amid these tensions, reports have surfaced indicating that the United States is expanding its military presence in northern Syria.

Videos and images circulating on social media suggest that US troops and equipment are heading toward Kobani, a city on the Turkish border that has seen intense strife between the Kurdish-led SDF and Turkish-backed forces. 

The US has maintained a presence of approximately 2,000 troops in Syria, primarily focused on countering ISIS. The presence in Kobani, however, seems to indicate a shift in strategy, with the construction of a new international coalition base in the region.

The United States has long maintained that its forces in Syria are there to combat ISIS, but recent developments have drawn attention to the broader geopolitical dynamics at play. 

The Turkish government has long contended that the SDF is essentially an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group designated as a terrorist organization by both Turkey and the US.

The US government, however, insists that the SDF and PKK are distinct entities, a point of contention between the NATO allies.

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