Syrian al-Qaeda linked rebels shoot down Russian SU-25 and kill pilot.

Remains of a Russian SU-25 destroyed by Syrian rebels. NBC News/AFP. 

Syrian rebels have shot down a Russian SU-25 "Frogfoot" and killed the pilot. NBC News. The pilot managed to eject from the plane but was engaged by the rebels on the ground and was killed by them. The jet was hit by a portable missile launcher and is a rare example of the Syrian rebels downing a plane. An al-Qaeda linked militia, al-Nusra Front, also known as Tahrir al-Sham, claimed responsibility for the downing and killing, but have not been able to prove their claims. It is unclear how such a group would get access to a MANPADS system as the US denies sending any to Syria. Russia and Turkey are making efforts to return the body to the pilots family. The incident occurred in northwest Syria and Russia has responded with further airstrikes. 

My Comment:

Sad story out of Syria today. I never like seeing pilots get killed like this. It is one thing to shoot them down but quite another to kill them while they are the ground. Doing so is a war crime but one that was and is all too common in the Syrian Civil War. Time and time again forces on the ground have killed or executed pilots after they have bailed out. Just goes to show how brutal and terrible the Syrian Civil War has been. 

I doubt surrender was an option for the Russian pilot though. He probably thought he had to go down fighting. Russian pilots are armed and would be very wise to not surrender to these groups. My guess is that he died fighting. I sincerely hope that his family gets some closure and that his body is returned to them. 

Al-Nusra has claimed responsibility for the downing and killing. Given where the incident occurred I find that plausible. Al-Nusra does operate in that area of the country and is one of the largest rebel groups left. They have the means and motive to do so, so I would not be surprised if their claims are genuine. 

Al-Nusra is also the 2nd most evil army running around in Syria. It's only because ISIS has been so over the top that they don't have that claim themselves. I am guessing that if they had captured the Russian pilot alive he would not have been treated well to say the least. Though al-Nusra isn't as big on executing people for propaganda purposes as ISIS is, I am sure they would make an exception in this case. Indeed, they did reportedly make a video showing the dead pilot's body so it's not like they have a sense of shame in the first place. 

I have said for a long time that after ISIS has been defeated we would have to watch out for al-Nusra. They are a large and powerful organization and though they have limited their terrorism to Syria, it would be fairly easy for them to export their attacks outside of the country. They are well equipped and have very determined fighters. I am not upset that the Russians are targeting them for destruction. 

It is very disturbing that al-Nusra has access to MANPADS. The anti-air missiles are extremely dangerous and have limited sources. My guess is that they captured these weapons from the Syrian regime but it is possible that someone outside supplied these weapons. The United States has officially been reluctant to provide MANPADS due to the possibility that they would fall into the hands of terror groups like al-Nusra and ISIS. Determining the origin of the missile is going to be a top priority for everyone involved.