IS shoots down Syrian military helicopter, two Russian pilots killed

The Islamic State shot down a Syrian military helicopter, killing two Russian pilots on board.

"On July 8, two Russian military flight instructors Evgeny Dolgin and Ryafagat Khabibulin performed a calibration flight on a Syrian Mi-25 helicopter carrying ammunition in Homs province," RT quoted a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry as saying. "The flight crew received a request from a group of Syrian commanders to assist them in destroying the attacking terrorists. Captain Khabibulin accepted."

They used up all their ammunition, helping to repel the attack. The helicopter was attacked by terrorists as it returned to base and crashed, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. "The crew was killed."

The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the incident, said SITE, a group that monitors online terrorist activity.

"The fighters of the 'caliphate' shot down a helicopter as it attempted to attack their position. This action resulted in the destruction of the helicopter and the deaths of those on board," IS said in a statement.

Interfax news agency quoted a Russian military source saying IS used the US TOW anti-tank missile system.

The July 8 incident raised the number of Russian soldiers killed in Syria to 10.

According to VNE