Syrian rebels claim to have shot down a Russian An-26 aircraft

The An-26 about three months before the accident. Photo:Russian Planes.

The Jaysh al-Islam rebel group in Syria on March 7 claimed responsibility for the crash of a Russian An-26 transport plane the day before.

Five rebels used heavy machine guns to fire at the An-26 as it was about to land and was only 100 meters above the ground,Lentareport

Jaysh al-Islam is a rebel group based in Eastern Ghouta, an area that has been hit by a series of airstrikes from the Syrian government and Russian forces. The group claimed that the An-26 was shot down in response to Russia's deployment of troops to the country.

The An-26 was carrying 39 people, including a crew of 6 and 33 passengers, all Russian military personnel. The plane crashed about 500 meters from the runway at Hmeymim base and did not catch fire.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed information that among the 39 victims was Major General Vladimir Eremeev, one of the commanders of Russian forces in Syria.

Moscow has rejected the theory that the plane was attacked, and will investigate the possibility of a technical malfunction and pilot error. The An-26 that crashed, with registration number RF-92955, is part of the Russian Special Air Transport Brigade in Syria and has been in continuous service since 1980.

Tu Quynh