Minister admits Iraq downed Turkish jet

ISTANBUL

REUTERS Photo

Turkey's Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz has confirmed that a Turkish F-100 military jet by was downed Iraqi forces in 1983, as part of a detailed report on downed Turkish jets over the years, daily Sabah has reported.

Three Turkish planes have been downed by other states since 1965, according to Yilmaz's report, of which the first incident was the 1983 Iraqi downing. The plane's pilots reportedly survived the crash and returned to Turkey. The incident, however, was kept from the public.

A second Turkish jet was downed by Greek forces in 1996 over the Aegean sea, the report said. Pilot Nail Erdoğan was killed in that crash.