Erdogan says Turkish chopper shot down in Syria operation

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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said a Turkish military helicopter had been shot down during Ankara's military offensive against a Kurdish militia in northern Syria.

"A little earlier, one of our helicopters was shot down," Erdogan said in televised remarks without saying who was responsible but vowing they would pay a "heavier price." State-run news agency Anadolu said the incident happened in the southern border province of Hatay.

The Turkish military said two soldiers on board the aircraft died. YPG sources separately confirmed the downing of the helicopter.

The Turkish military in a statement did not specify a reason for why the helicopter fell. It said two soldiers on board died and technical crews were investigating the crash.

Ankara launched an air and ground offensive last month against Kurdish fighters in Syria's Afrin region on its border, opening a new front in the multi-sided Syrian war.

The downed helicopter was the first officially confirmed loss of a Turkish aircraft over Syria since the start of the country's long-running civil war.

(Top image: File photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters