Report: Syrian rebels shoot down warplane, capture pilot
Videos began to circulate on social media of alleged footage of the incident.
By MAAYAN GROISMANUpdated: APRIL 5, 2016 15:55Syrian rebels claim to have shot down warplane and capture pilot south of Aleppo
Syrian rebels on Tuesday allegedly downed a Russian fighter jet belonging to the Syrian air force and captured the aircraft's pilot, sources linked to the opposition reported.According to the report, the Syrian regime's Sukhoi 22 warplane was downed by an anti-aircraft missile over the northern village of Kfar Jalis.According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a plume of smoke was seen as the plane caught fire before it fell in the Talat al-Iss highland where al-Qaida affiliated rebels have come under heavy bombardment by Syrian and Russian jets after they captured the area this week.According to the monitor and rebel sources, fighters from the al-Qaida-linked opposition group Nusra Front took the pilot of the downed plane to one of their headquarters.Shortly after initial reports emerged, videos began to circulate on social media of alleged footage of the incident.In November of last year, Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border sparking a diplomatic crisis between the two nations.The incident, which occurred on November 24, has since prompted Moscow to impose retaliatory economic sanctions on Turkey and has triggered a furious response from President Vladimir Putin who has repeatedly accused Ankara of "stabbing Russia in the back."Turkey says the SU-24 fighter-bomber, part of Russia's Syria-based strike force, strayed into its airspace and ignored repeated warnings to leave. Russia says the plane did not leave Syria and posed no threat to Turkey.Reuters contributed to this report.
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