First US Turkish-Based Drone Strike Hits Targets in Syria

The United States has officially conducted its first air strike in Syria from a Turkish airbase, as confirmed by the Pentagon on Wednesday.

A US drone hit an unspecified ISIL target in northern Syria on Monday, as revealed by the Pentagon spokesperson Navy Capt. Jeff Davis Wednesday.

The official said the use of Turkish-based airpower will “put coalition aircraft significantly closer on the map to where these potential targets are.”

It has been the first officially confirmed US combat flight taking off from Incirlik Air Base near Adana, southeastern Turkey, situated about 100 km from the Syrian border, since the beginning of the US-led coalition’s military operation against ISIL in Syria and Iraq.

Previously, coalition air raids had been conducted from various air bases and aircraft carriers, located away from the operation zone. Turkey only permitted the United States to fly only surveillance missions from Incirlik.

Monday’s drone strike could be regarded as the first indication that the US Air Force has prepared for large-scale air assaults on ISIL targets across northern Syria. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier told state broadcaster TRT that progress has been made in preparing for an active phase of a joint US-Turkish operation against ISIL.

“We're seeing that manned and unmanned American planes are arriving [to Turkey] and soon we will launch a comprehensive battle against Islamic State all together,” he said.

Turkish government agreed to allow the US launch air strikes against the ISIL from Turkey’s airfields July, 22. Two days later, Turkey started a long-awaited military campaign against ISIL in Syria, after the militants claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the border town of Suruc that killed 32 people.

The international coalition has carried out more than 5,600 airstrikes in its air campaign against the Islamic State since August 2014.