Syrian military plane shot down, pilot killed

A Syrian army fighter jet was shot down by rebels in Hama province on December 26, killing the pilot.

A Syrian Air Force training aircraft at Shayrat base. Photo: Sputnik

"A Syrian military plane crashed in northern Hama province after being attacked by terrorists; the pilot was killed," Syria's state news agency SANA said.

The ill-fated aircraft was identified as an L-39 Albatros and was attacked by anti-aircraft artillery by rebels while on a training mission. It is not yet clear which rebel group was behind the attack.

Meanwhile, Al Masdar news agency quoted a government source as saying that the L-39 Albatros aircraft was not attacked but crashed due to a technical problem.

A video that later went viral on the internet appeared to show the body of the ill-fated pilot surrounded by armed men claiming to be members of the Jaysh al-Nukhba rebel group, which operates in Idlib and Hama.

The identity of the pilot has not been confirmed, but a source said it could be Basim Hasan. Meanwhile, the fate of the other pilot on the crashed L-39 Albatros is currently unknown.

According to Dantri