Syrian Su-22 shot down in Idlib 'fire pit'
A Syrian Air Force Su-22 attack aircraft was shot down by Islamic rebels in Idlib province yesterday, the pilot may have been taken prisoner.
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A Syrian Su-22 taking off in April 2017. Photo:Sputnik. |
"One of our military aircraft was carrying out an airstrike mission on a base of the Nusra Front terrorist group in the al-Tamania area of Idlib province on August 14 when it was shot down by rebels with a missile," Syrian state television (SANA) reported.
Previously, the Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) rebel group operating in Idlib also claimed to have shot down a Syrian army Su-22 attack aircraft taking off from an airbase in Homs province.
According to SANA, the Syrian government has not yet been able to determine the pilot's condition, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) cited local sources as saying that a pilot parachuted out of the plane and was taken prisoner by rebels. SOHR said this was the first military aircraft of the Syrian Air Force to be shot down since late April.
Idlib is considered a "hot spot" in northwestern Syria because many rebel groups have gathered here after being defeated by government forces elsewhere. Russia and Türkiye reached an agreement in September 2018 to establish a demilitarized buffer zone in Idlib, but HTS has not complied with the agreement to withdraw from the fighting area.
Since April, the Syrian army has launched an offensive in Idlib to retake territory from rebels. With the support of the Russian air force, the Syrian army has recaptured a number of villages and towns on the border between Hama and Idlib provinces.
