Turkish armed forces shoot down Syrian military jet after it flew into air space

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkish armed forces shot down a Syrian military jet that violated Turkish air space.

According to the BBC, the incident happened at the Northern border where Syrian rebels and government forces are fighting for control of the border crossing.

In a statement, the Turkish army said that, “One of the patrolling F-16 jets fired a missile at the Syrian plane... in line with rules of engagement and the plane fell into the Kasab region on Syrian territory,” and warned that if their air space is violated, there would be heavy consequences,” according to the AFP.

The Syrian military jet was warned four times to leave the Turkish air space, however the pilot ignored the warnings and kept flying.

Syrian refuges have flooded Turkey because of the conflict happening in their native land. Over 750,000 refugees have sought protection from Syria as its war rages on.

The plane breached Turkish air space by one kilometer.