Russian chopper downed in Syria

All five people on board were killed, taking the total number of Russian troops killed in Syria to 18.

August 01, 2016 11:30 pm | Updated 11:30 pm IST - Beirut/Moscow

Fighters of a Syrian rebel group celebrate after the Russian helicopter was shot down in Idlib on Monday.

Fighters of a Syrian rebel group celebrate after the Russian helicopter was shot down in Idlib on Monday.

A Russian military helicopter was shot down in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province on Monday killing all five people on board, in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria.

Images on social media purportedly taken at the scene of the crash showed a dead body stripped of clothing being dragged through the dirt near the wreckage. Russian identity documents purportedly taken from the helicopter could also be seen.

Russia's defence ministry said the Mi-8 military transport helicopter had been shot down after delivering humanitarian aid to the city of Aleppo as it made its way back to Russia's main air base in the western province of Latakia.

“As far as we know from the information that has reached the defence ministry, those on board died, they died heroically," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.

The helicopter came down near the town of Saraqeb, in Idlib province, roughly mid-way between Aleppo and the Russian air force base at Khmeimim, near the Mediterranean coast.

U.S. Backed rebels

No group has claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter. Islamic State fighters are not active in the area, but there are other Islamist rebel groups there, as well as moderates backed by the United States and its allies.

That raises the prospect — which could cause a major diplomatic incident — of the helicopter having been brought down by a U.S.-supplied weapon. The United States has equipped some rebel groups with TOW anti-tank missiles, which can also be used against helicopters.

Russia's military has since September last year been supporting President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's five-year-old civil war.

In Aleppo, around 40 km (25 miles) north-east of the crash site, rebel groups are under siege from government forces backed by Russian air support. Rebel groups are staging an offensive to try to break the siege.

Moscow said last week it was opening humanitarian corridors for civilans to leave the rebel-held areas, and for fighters to give up their arms.

However, rebel activists and aid groups have expressed scepticism, saying Russian aircraft are bombing the city and causing civilian casualties. U.S. officials have suggested the plan may be an attempt to depopulate the city so that the Syrian army can seize it.

Russian denies targeting civilians.

Despite persistent Western accusations that Moscow is abetting Assad in a brutal crackdown on his own people, Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented the Syrian operation as a success in the fight against Islamist terrorism.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.