Russian fighter jet shot down by rebel group in Syria, pilot killed

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A Russian fighter jet on Saturday was shot down in a rebel-held area near Syria’s Idlib Province where the pilot was killed, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a monitoring group in the war-torn country which traces the conflict on the ground, initially reported that the pilot had ejected his plane—a Russian Sokhoi-25 fighter jet—before the crash but had been captured.

“Rebel factions shot down a Sukhoi-25. The Russian pilot came down in a parachute, before being captured,” Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the SOHR, stated.

“There have been dozens of Russian air strikes in the area over the past 24 hours,” Rahman added. “This plane was also carrying out raids there.”

Footage circulating on social media later appeared to show rebel groups surrounding the body of the deceased pilot.

Hours after the incident, the Russian Defense Ministry said the pilot was killed during “a fight” after he ejected his plane via parachute, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

According to the Defense Ministry, the aircraft was downed by “a MANPAD portable surface-to-air missile during a flight around the de-escalation zone in the province.”

“The pilot died in a fight with terrorists,” the ministry added, noting the pilot had reported that he escaped his plane and landed in an area controlled by Al Nusra.

There is still no confirmation of which rebel group shot down the plane and killed the pilot as several hardline groups including the extremist, al-Qaeda linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are active in the northwestern province.

Russia has been active in the area where they have supported Syrian regime allies targeting rebels in Idlib Province.

In late December, Syrian government forces, backed by Russian jets, launched a major operation against rebel groups in and around Idlib.

The Russian Air Force has suffered minimal losses since it started its campaign in Syria in September 2015, supporting President Bashar al-Assad and his regime forces.

In August 2016, all five people on board of a Russian helicopter were killed after it was shot down over Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, has left thousands killed and scores more displaced as violence continues in the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, a Turkish operation in Syria’s predominantly Kurdish northwestern region of Afrin continues to target US-backed Kurdish forces.