BREAKING: Russian fighter jet ‘SHOT DOWN by rebels in Sarqeb’, pilot reported DEAD
A RUSSIAN warplane has been shot down in Syria after carrying out intense airstrikes by rebel forces and there are reports the pilot was “burned alive”, it has been claimed by activists.
By MATT DRAKE
Express.co.uk
Sat, Feb 3, 2018
Syrian opposition activists claim rebels have shot down a warplane in the country’s northwest where Government forces and their allies are advancing with the help of intense airstrikes.
A Syrian monitoring group and a Syrian militant say the pilot was killed when he resisted capture by opening fire from his pistol.
The Russian media quoted an official source confirming that an SU-25 has been shot down.
It is the first SU-25 to have been shot down for two years.
There are reports that the pilot survived and other that he was burned alive.
A video is circulating on social media of a dead man with a bloodied face as bearded gunmen stand around him, one of them shouts: “He is Russian.”
But the authenticity of the video could not be independently verified, but it corresponds to events reported.
Reports say a Turkish team tried to recover the downed Russian pilot but FSA jihadists executed before they could reach the downed plane.
The opposition’s Aleppo Media Centre says it was a Russian SU25 but did not say whether it was Russian.
There is no immediate word from Moscow to confirm the downing of the plane or the killing of the pilot.
Pro-opposition outlet claims the aircraft was shot down using a Russian made Igla anti-aircraft missile.
UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the plane was downed on Saturday afternoon near the rebel-held town of Sreqeb.
Syrian troops have been trying to reach this region under cover of Russian airstrikes.
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