Syrian rebels capture government airmen after helicopter crash
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Version 0 of 1. Syrian insurgents have captured several government airmen after their helicopter crashed in a rebel-held area of north-west Syria, activists said. The Idlib Media Centre and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday that the helicopter went down near Jabal al-Zawiya, some 6 miles (10km) north of the town of Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province, north-west Syria. The helicopter experienced a technical malfunction and made an emergency landing, according to the Observatory. Opposition fighters, including from the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front, took four crew members prisoner, the Observatory director, Rami Abdurrahman, said. Another airman survived the crash but was reportedly killed by his captors, and the fate of a suspected sixth airman is unknown, Abdurrahman said. An amateur video posted online showed rebels inspecting the wreckage of the helicopter, which had rolled on to its side on a rocky hill. The aircraft’s blue undercarriage was partially torn and the nose badly damaged. The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other reports. The Syrian military frequently uses helicopters to drop crude barrel bombs – giant canisters packed with hundreds of kilos of explosives and scrap metal – on rebel-held towns and districts. |