Syrian helicopter lands in rebels-held area due to malfunction

A Syrian helicopter had an emergency landing in a rebel-held area in the northwestern province of Idlib due to a malfunction, the state news agency SANA and opposition activists reported on Sunday.

The helicopter landed in the town of Deir Sunbul in the countryside of Idlib, said the report, adding that the search for the plane crew is ongoing.

Meanwhile, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that fighters with the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front managed to capture four crew members of the helicopter, which had an emergency landing near the town of Frikeh in the northern countryside of Idlib.

It said the Nusra fighters shot one Syrian solider near the plane before hustling four others to unknown destination.

Other activists also posted a video online, purporting to show the helicopter while landing and another scene, showing the Nusra fighters surrounding it.

The Syrian air force has recently been bombing the Nusra positions in the northern countryside of Idlib to weaken the group's ability and their attacks on government troops' positions in Idlib. Endit