Russia says Turkey downs jet near Syrian border

Turkey says warplane violated its airspace; pilots ejected

By AP, AFP and ToI Staff 24 November 2015, 10:51 am

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Illustrative image of a Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet. (CC BY-SA Tim Felce, via Wikimedia)

Turkish media reports on Monday said Turkish jets shot down a warplane that violated its national airspace at the border with Syria.

Russia news agencies cited the Defense Ministry as confirming that the warplane shot down by Turkey was Russian.

According to the reports, the ministry said on Tuesday that the plane was on a bombing mission in Syria and crashed after it came under an artillery attack from the ground. Moscow insisted that the jet, a Su-24, did not violate Turkish airspace.

The ministry said the pilots parachuted out but added that Moscow had no further contact with them.

Turkish General Staff told the Anadolu Agency that the foreign fighter jet was challenged by two F-16s after it was warned 10 times in five minutes.

The Dogan news agency quoted unnamed military officials saying the plane was shot down on Tuesday. The agency said it crashed into Syrian territory close to the border with Turkey.

The plane exploded in the air and the fireball fell on a Turkmen mountain on the Syrian side of the border, CNN-Turk and NTV televisions reported.

Last month, Turkish jets shot down an unidentified drone that had also violated Turkey’s airspace.