Russia strikes back after fighter jet downed, pilot killed

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Massive Russian air strikes have killed at least 30 militants in northwest Syria, where a Russian fighter jet was shot down, Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement Saturday.

A series of high-precision weapon strikes has been delivered in the area controlled by the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, which brought down the Russian Su-25 jet by using a portable anti-aircraft missile system in the Syrian province of Idlib, the statement said.

"According to radio intercepts, more than 30 Jabhat al-Nusra militants were killed," the statement said.

A picture taken on February 3, 2018, shows Syrian men standing at the site of a downed Sukhoi-25 fighter jet in the Syrian city of Saraqib, southwest of Aleppo. /VCG Photo‍

A Russian pilot was killed earlier Saturday in fighting with Islamists after his warplane was downed over northwest Syria, Russia's Defense Ministry and a monitor said.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a powerful jihadist-dominated alliance said on an affiliated media channel it had shot down the plane but made no mention of the pilot.

"We were able to bring down the Russian warplane with a shoulder-fired missile above Saraqib in Idlib this afternoon," said Mahmoud al-Turkmani who, according to the statement, heads HTS's "air defense brigade." He said the attack was in retaliation for a ferocious bombing campaign by Russian warplanes over Idlib.

HTS, which is dominated by Al-Qaeda's former affiliate in Syria, controls Idlib and has sought to fight back a ferocious Russian-backed assault by Syrian government troops.

A picture taken on February 3, 2018, shows the wing of a downed Sukhoi-25 fighter jet in the Syrian city of Saraqib, southwest of Aleppo. /VCG Photo

An AFP correspondent who arrived at the crash site on Saturday saw what appeared to be the charred remains of the plane, including a wing with a red star still visible.

Firefighters arrived to put out flames that had been spewing dark smoke into the wintry Syrian sky.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the Su-25 aircraft was shot down over Idlib province and said the pilot was killed "in fighting against terrorists."

Russia also said it is now working with Turkish counterparts to try and retrieve the body of the pilot.

The area where the aircraft went down is supposed to be a "de-escalation zone," as agreed by Russia, Turkey and Iran. But there have been heavy air strikes and fighting on the ground between Syria’s government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, and rebel groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.

A damaged building after PKK/PYD terror group fired seven missiles from Afrin region, where Turkish Armed Forces conducts the 'Operation Olive Branch,' on a building and a marketplace in Azaz district near the Turkish border in Aleppo, Syria, February 03, 2018. /VCG Photo

And this isn’t the only fighting in the area. Turkey launched an operation in January called "Olive Branch,” aimed at removing Kurdish militiamen from Afrin, to the northwest of Aleppo.

It’s been one week since Russia hosted talks on the war in Syria, and many will be questioning its role given the continued operations and increased violence.

Russia will be under pressure to resolve the situation, without more loss of life.

It will also put a strain on Russia’s relations with the US. Moscow has already accused Washington of arming groups opposed to the Assad regime, which they say was the catalyst for Turkey’s offensive in Afrin.

The US State Department says it is calling on Russia to return to the Geneva process as soon as possible.

(CGTN’s Jessica King also contributed to the story.)

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Source(s): AFP ,Xinhua News Agency