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Turkish jet was downed in Syrian airspace, U.S. officials indicate

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  • Turkish jet was downed in Syrian airspace, U.S. officials indicate

    Turkish jet was downed in Syrian airspace, U.S. officials indicate

    June 30, 2012 - 17:07 AMT


    PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. intelligence indicates that a Turkish warplane
    shot down by Syrian forces was most likely hit by shore-based
    antiaircraft guns while it was inside Syrian airspace, American
    officials said, a finding in tune with Syria's account and at odds
    with Turkey, The Wall Street Journal reports.

    The Turkish government, which moved tanks to the Syrian border after
    the June 22 incident, says the debris fell in Syrian waters, but
    maintains its fighter was shot down without warning in international
    airspace. Ankara also has said the jet was hit too far from Syrian
    territory to have been engaged by an antiaircraft gun.

    Damascus has said it shot down the plane with an antiaircraft battery
    with an effective range of about 1.5 miles.

    "We see no indication that it was shot down by a surface-to-air
    missile" as Turkey says, said a senior defense official. Officials
    declined to specify the sources of their information. The senior U.S.
    defense official cautioned that much remains unknown about the
    incident.

    A Turkish official said he wasn't aware of the American doubts, and
    reiterated the government's position that a Syrian missile downed the
    plane in international airspace.

    The downing of the jet spurred fears of a widening regional conflict
    and led the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, following a
    presentation by Turkey, to condemn Syria's action.

    The use of antiaircraft fire would suggest the Turkish plane was
    flying low to the ground, and slowly, U.S. officials said - though
    Syria said the jet was traveling at 480 miles an hour. If hit by
    antiaircraft fire, the jet likely came closer to the Syrian shoreline
    than Turkey says, U.S. officials said.

    According to the Journal, some current and former American officials
    believe Ankara has been testing Syrian defenses. The version of the
    Turkish F-4 Phantom that was shot down typically carries surveillance
    equipment, according to U.S. defense officials.

    A former senior U.S. official who worked closely with Turkey said he
    believed the flight's course was meant to test Syria's response. "You
    think that the airplane was there by mistake?" the former official
    said.

    "These countries are all testing how fast they get picked up and how
    fast someone responds," said a senior U.S. official. "It's part of
    training."


    From: Baghdasarian
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