Syrian "rebels" shot down regime warplane

Al-Qaida shot down a government warplane over the town of Al-Eis in northern Syria on Tuesday and captured one crew member alive, a rebel source and a monitoring group said.

The rebel source said it was "likely that (al-Qaida's Syria affiliate) Al-Nusra Front shot down the plane and took the pilot," adding that the plane had been hit by heavy machinegun fire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said al-Nusra downed the plane, which it said was likely being flown by a Syrian air force pilot.

According to the monitor and a militant source the pilot of downed plane has been taken by al-Nusra front to one of its headquarters.

Syrian state TV confirmed that the jet was shot down, but said it was hit by a surface-to-air missile.

Videos downloaded on social media also showed footage of the plane and pictures of the wreckage of a burnt plane surrounded by rebels...
 [i24news.tv]
5/4/16
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