Syria Qaida Downs Regime Plane, Captures Pilot

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

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.

The Al-Qaida affiliate is not party to the ceasefire between government forces and non-jihadist rebels brokered by the United States and Russia that has been in place since February 27.

On Friday, Al-Nusra and its allies pushed regime loyalists out of Al-Eis, a strategic town in Aleppo province.

In video footage circulated on social media purporting to show the scene where the plane came down, a dozen men crowd around a man lying in the dirt.

Some of them cry: "He's Syrian, he's Syrian!" and others yell: "Get his weapons off him!"

AFP could not confirm the authenticity of the footage.

Last month, Islamist rebels shot down a regime warplane over the village of Kafr Nabuda in the central province of Hama.

Comments 19
Thumb lubnani.masi7i 05 April 2016, 15:06

surface to air missiles... just what the doctor ordered.

Default-user-icon John (Guest) 06 April 2016, 18:10

http://www.businessinsider.com/hezbollah-has-gone-corporate-2016-4

Thumb EagleDawn 05 April 2016, 16:20

good news

Thumb Maxx 05 April 2016, 16:39

This pilot will probably be burned alive in a cage, like the Jordanian one...

Thumb Maxx 05 April 2016, 20:58

Dear @1mowaten,
I hate to be a pain in the ass, but you can't actually get pregnant through anal sex, incestuous or otherwise. Just sayin'... Cheers!

Thumb liberty 06 April 2016, 02:52

Maxx

I believe the point he is trying to make is that shias believe it is possible for some religious reasons.

Thumb ice-man 06 April 2016, 06:12

How Sad.... What is it about these people! An Alawist pilot serving his president and his country dropping napalm and a few barrel bombs here and there defending his land and country from foreign invasion is shot down and tortured!!

I could never understand this culture of violence specially towards one's own countrymen. I am sure the regime will rise above this painful mishap and recover in no time and resume its barrel bombings of Syrian cities and villages at record pace.

Thumb ice-man 06 April 2016, 06:12

;)

Thumb ansarullah 05 April 2016, 17:16

Lan Tousba Zainabu Maratayyn
Lan Lan Lan

Thumb Al-Ba3th 05 April 2016, 19:34

Old MacDonald Had A Farm
Eyya Eyya Oh

Thumb barrymore 05 April 2016, 17:27

hopefully we will see more of the regime airplanes downed in the near future.

Missing humble 05 April 2016, 17:48

This is the very reason why the Russians left Syria.

Thumb shab 05 April 2016, 19:43

Stingers from Turkey

Missing abou.ali 05 April 2016, 22:21

Who do you prefer? The terrorist Asaad/Hezbollah/Iran gang or the AlNosra/Isis etc gang? They are all faces of the same coin! Both are killing civilians, both have no clue of what is the meaning of democracy (or mercy)! So, what are the options available? Back to French protectorat???

Thumb liberty 06 April 2016, 02:54

how about the FPM?

Thumb liberty 06 April 2016, 02:54

you mean like the Smaha tapes?

Thumb ice-man 06 April 2016, 06:15

he never watched those, not allowed.

Thumb ice-man 06 April 2016, 06:16

me too, i hope the victims of the barrel bombs and chemical attacks have mercy on him and treat him with the utmost respect.

Thumb ice-man 06 April 2016, 06:18

still unemployed my friend?