Militants shoot down Syrian fighter jet: Monitoring group
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 21 civilians have been killed in a US airstrike near the city of Raqqah and that anti-Damascus militants have shot down a Syrian military plane to the east of the country’s capital.
The UK-based monitoring group said on Monday that the plane crashed some 50 kilometers to the east of Damascus.It noted that it could not confirm if the pilot was dead or alive.
"We have brought down a Syrian jet in Tel Dakwa area in rural Damascus and we are searching for the pilot," said a spokesman for Western-backed Jaish Osoud al Sharqiya militant group, Saad al Haj.
Meanwhile, pictures which are claimed to be of the plane’s wreckage and its pilot’s remains, have been posted on militant social media sites.
A separate militant group has also claimed to have downed the plane after hitting it with anti-aircraft weaponry recently supplied by the US.
The group added that the plane had crashed some 15 kilometers to the east of Bir Qasab between Tal Dakwa and Dumair airport.
US strike kills 21 in Raqqah
Also on Monday, the observatory said that 21 civilians were killed during a US airstrike while they were trying to flee the Daesh-held city of Raqqah.
"The civilians were boarding small boats on the northern bank of the Euphrates River to flee southern neighborhoods of Raqqah," said observatory Director Rami Abdel Rahman. He added that women and children were among the casualties.
"The toll may continue to rise as some of the wounded are in critical condition," he noted.
The US has been conducting airstrikes against what it calls Daesh positions inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.
Read More:
- Syrian army troops liberate Aleppo town from Daesh clutches
- Syrian government troops liberate 22 towns in eastern Aleppo
According to latest figures released by SOHR, airstrikes by the US and its allies left a total of 225 civilians dead in Syria between April 23 and May 23 alone.
Daesh seized Raqqah in 2014, the same year when it started its campaign of terror in Syria. It then proceeded to capture large swathes of Syrian territory.
Thousands of civilians have fled the northern city in the face of a looming offensive by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Different foreign-backed terrorist groups have been wreaking havoc in Syria since 2011.
Read More:
- US-backed Kurdish forces: Raqqah liberation imminent
- Damascus urges UN to stop US-led coalition from killing Syrian civilians
- US airstrikes kill 43 people in Syria’s Raqqah
Over the past few months, Syrian forces have made sweeping gains against Takfiri elements who have lately increased their acts of violence across the country following a series of defeats on the ground.
US vetoing of Gaza ceasefire resolution ‘disgraceful’: Iran’s UN envoy
Syria condemns Israel's killing of 36 in 'horrific' strike on Palmyra
Israeli airstrike kills 36 people in Syria’s historic town of Palmyra
VIDEO | Hezbollah rains attack drones down on elite Israeli brigade
Leader: All captains of criminal, Zionist, terrorist gang must be prosecuted
Iran further raises its oil prices for Chinese buyers: Report
Iran to launch major pressure-boosting projects in South Pars
VIDEO | Escalation amid ceasefire talks
EU's Borrell says ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders binding
VIDEO | Press TV's News Headlines
VIDEO | Massacre in Pakistan’s Parachinar sparks outrage
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
