Syrian rebels shot down a Syrian Air Force helicopter in the country’s northwest where Syrian troops are advancing, killing the two crew members on board in a fiery crash.
A journalist and military aviation analyst, Babak Taghvaee has released on its Twitter account the shocking footage captured the moment the Mi-17 utility helicopter of Syrian Arab Air Force was shot-down over Al-Nayrab.
The 70-second video, shared by the analyst, shows that rebel forces have downed a regime helicopter over the city of Idlib in Syria earlier today.
An hour ago, this Mi-17 utility helicopter of #Syria Arab Air Force was shot-down over Al-Nayrab, #Idlib. #AlQaeda affiliated & #Turkish backed militias are trying to take responsibility, but it is certainly known that #Turkey targeted this helicopter. pic.twitter.com/ZRzx9ShrlV
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) February 11, 2020
The helicopter was downed south of Idlib city, where rebels supported by Turkish artillery were advancing near the town of Nairab to push back Russian-led forces, Abdulah al Shami, a commander in a coalition of mainstream rebel factions, told Reuters.
The shooting down came a day after the death of five Turkish soldiers in a Syrian government attack prompting Ankara to retaliate with strikes on 115 government positions.
According to the Turkish military, 101 of the targets had been destroyed, including three tanks, two artillery positions, and one helicopter.
