Rebels in northern Syria have released disturbing footage to back claims they killed the Russian jet’s two crew members as they parachuted down to the ground and destroyed a helicopter sent to rescue them.
The clip, published by the Free Syrian Army, shows a fighter operating American-made artillery to strike the helicopter with a missile shortly after they forced it to make an emergency landing, causing it to explode into a fireball.
RUSSIA URGED TO FOCUS AIRSTRIKES ON ISIS
US President Barack Obama has pressed Russia to focus its attacks in Syria on Islamic State militants after Turkey heightened tensions by shooting down a Russian warplane.
Obama said such confrontations could be avoided if Russia stopped attacking “moderate” Syrian rebels battling forces loyal to dictator President Bashar al-Assad. Russia is supporting Assad’s government, while western nations insist he needs to step down for peace to take hold in Syria.
“This points to an ongoing problem with the Russian operations in the sense that they are operating very close to a Turkish border and they are going after moderate opposition that are supported by not only Turkey but a wide range of countries,” Obama said.
If Russia directs its energies toward IS forces, “some of those conflicts or potentials for mistakes or escalation are less likely to occur”, Obama said.
MOSCOW DENIES BEING WARNED
Audio recordings of Turkish pilots challenging Russian fighter jets minutes before shooting one down appear to contradict Moscow’s denial that any such warning was given.
Russia’s defence ministry issued a statement claiming there was ‘no objective evidence’ of a warning before Turkish F-16 fighter jets opened fire, shooting down a Russian Su-24M ‘Fencer’ on its border with Syria.
US military sources have confirmed they had monitored the warnings, and several recordings purporting to be challenges made by the Turkish pilots have been released.
Such a clash has been feared ever since Russia deployed aircraft, tanks and troops to support the Syrian al-Assad regeime in its struggle against both US-backed rebels and Islamic State jihadists in September.
Moscow, quoting what it said were preliminary reports, said one of two pilots who ejected from the combat jet was killed by gunfire from the ground as he descended.
And a Russian soldier was killed when a helicopter search-and-rescue operation came under fire, it said.
Shortly after the incident, Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed Ankara as “accomplices of terrorists”.
Russia has since declared it will deploy the anti-aircraft cruiser Moskva close to the coastal Syria-Turkey border in response to the incident. All ground-strike missions will also now be covered by fighter aircraft.
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