Turkey’s decision to shoot down a Russian warplane did not involve the United States, a Department of Defense spokesman said on Tuesday, indicating that the Pentagon has yet to take a side on the issue.
Col. Steve Warren, Pentagon spokesman for the international coalition’s campaign against the Islamic State, said in a tweet that the "incident between the Russian and Turkish government is not an issue involving" the anti-Islamic State campaign, known as Operation Inherent Resolve. He reiterated that stance at a press briefing and said the coalition’s focus is on defeating the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.
Turkey said the Russian Su-24 bomber jet repeatedly violated Turkish airspace near the country’s border with Syria, and that it warned the warplane 10 times before striking it. Warren said the coalition backs Turkey on its claims that it issued multiple warnings.
Russia denied that the plane violated Turkish airspace, with President Vladimir Putin calling the incident a "stab in the back that will have serious consequences for Russia's relationship with Turkey."