A US F-16 fighter jet shot down a Turkish drone, eliminating another NATO ally's aircraft over Syria

A US military F-16 fighter jet downed a Turkish drone operating above Syria on Thursday, marking a rare clash between Washington and a NATO ally, according to multiple reports.

The American aircraft shot down the drone because it was considered to be a threat to US troops in the northeastern part of the country, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing an unnamed person familiar with the incident. An American official told the outlet that US knew the drone — which was armed with air-to-ground munitions — belonged to Turkey before it acted.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based office that documents human rights abuses in Syria, said earlier Thursday that an "International Coalition" targeted the Turkish drone.

The Turkish military acknowledged that an unmanned aircraft was shot down but denied ownership of the drone, according to Reuters, which reported that two US officials said an F-16 shot down the Turkish unmanned aircraft after multiple warnings that the drone was operating too close to American forces.

Neither the Pentagon, nor US Central Command (CENTCOM), immediately responded to Insider's request for comment on the situation, but multiple other outlets, citing US officials, reported the incident.

Turkey in recent days has stepped up a bombing campaign against what it says are Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria, blaming them for a suicide bombing in Ankara last weekend. Several people have been killed this week by the Turkish attacks, according to observers.

The US has around 900 troops deployed to Syria as part of an international coalition that works with local forces to carry out counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State. Most recently, American troops carried out two helicopter raids during the last week of September that each resulted in the capture of an ISIS official, according to US Central Command.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.