Turkey Downs Russian Jet Along Syrian Border
Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday, marking the first time a NATO member and Moscow have exchanged fire due to the conflict in Syria, AP reports.
The two countries provided conflicting accounts of the incident, which took place along the Syrian-Turkish border separating Latakia from Iskenderun.
Moscow said a Su-24 was taken down by artillery fire, but Ankara claimed its F-16s fired on the Russian plane after it breached Turkish airspace and ignored several warnings.
“On Nov. 24, 2015 at around 09:20 a.m., a plane whose nationality is not known violated the Turkish airspace despite several warnings (10 times within five minutes) in the area of Yayladagi, Hatay,” the Turkish military announced before the airplane’s nationality had been confirmed.
“Two F-16 planes on aerial patrol duty in the area intervened against the plane in question in accordance with the rules of engagement at 09:24 a.m.”
Troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad have been on the offensive in the northern Latakia area, which is controlled by a smattering of rebel groups including al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria, and the 2nd Coastal Division, a group that consists of local Turkmen fighters.
The plane reportedly went down in the Turkmen mountains region, an area that has been subjected to a government offensive and Russian airstrikes over the past several days.
One of the two pilots has been confirmed dead, while the other may have been captured by rebels in the area.
Russia, Iran to Oppose ‘External Attempts’ to Remove Assad
Iran and Russia have said they will jointly oppose “external attempts” to remove Bashar al-Assad from power, a Kremlin official said Monday in Tehran after a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The statement was a direct refusal by the two leaders to cooperate with calls from the United States, France, Britain and Saudi Arabia for Assad’s ouster, AFP reports.
In a meeting the Kremlin spokesman described as “quite constructive,” Putin and Khamenei discussed their “unity of views” on Syria. Both powers, said the spokesman, are against “external attempts to dictate scenarios of political settlement” in Syria.
Khamenei said the U.S. had a “long-term plan” to dominate the Middle East, especially Syria, and this would “disadvantage all countries, especially Iran and Russia.”
“Syria’s president was elected by people of various political, religious and ethnic views in a general election. The U.S. cannot ignore Syrians’ vote and choice,” he said.
Assad Loyalists Capture Towns From ISIS in Homs
Troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad seized areas from the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Homs on Monday, AP reports.
Syrian troops and pro-government militias took the town of Mheen and the neighboring village of Hawareen in the early hours of Monday morning, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
“A big victory was achieved by our heroes,” said a correspondent on Syrian state television reporting on the government’s takeover.
Control of the area will enable Assad loyalists to secure the section of the major north-south highway linking Damascus with Homs.
The government’s next move is expected to be to target the nearby village of Qaryatain before moving on toward historic Palmyra, which was captured by ISIS in May.
Recommended Reads
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- Vox: The Problem at the Heart of ISIS — and Why the World Seems Unable to Solve It
- Foreign Policy In Focus: Assad the Cornerstone That Must Be Removed Before the Edifice of the Islamic State Collapses
Top image: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu attend a meeting at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015. Turkey shot down a Russian warplane Tuesday, claiming it had violated Turkish airspace and ignored repeated warnings. Russia denied that the plane crossed the Syrian border into Turkish skies. (AP Photo/Presidential Press Service, Pool )