Russian pilot killed after plane downed over Syria
SARAQIB: A Russian warplane was shot down in Syria on Saturday and its pilot killed on the ground after he ejected from the plane, Russia’s defence ministry and Syrian rebels said.
A jihadi group linked to the former branch of al-qaeda in Syria claimed responsibility for shooting down the Russian SU-25 warplane with a shoulder launched anti-aircraft missile.
The group Tahrir al-sham released a statement on social media which quoted a commander in charge of its air defences as saying that one of its fighters had hit the Russian jet during an air raid over the city of Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib. Tahrir al-sham includes the group formerly known as the Nusra Front, which served as al-qaeda’s Syrian branch.
Idlib province has seen heavy air strikes and fighting on the ground between government forces backed by Russia and Iran, and rebels who oppose President Bashar al-assad.
Syrians opposed to Assad see Russia as an invading force they blame for the deaths of thousands of civilians since Moscow joined the war on the side of the Syrian government in 2015.
Although the Russian pilot escaped the crash, he was killed by rebels who had tried to capture him, a source said.
“This work is the least we can do to revenge our people. Let the criminal invaders know that our skies are not a picnic and they will not pass through without paying a price God willing,” senior Tahrir al-sham commander Mahmoud Turkomani said in a statement released by the group.
Russia’s defence ministry also said that the aircraft was downed by a portable surface-to-air missile. The pilot reported that he had ejected by parachute, and he was later killed on the ground.
“The pilot died in a fight with terrorists,” it said.