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Update: Turkey says war jets shoot down Syrian chopper over airspace violation

Xinhua, May 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

Turkey's defense chief said on Saturday his country shot down a Syrian helicopter, citing airspace violation near Syrian border.

"A Syrian helicopter was downed after violation of border seven miles for five minutes in Cilvegozu (border crossing)," Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz told reporters.

Turkish F-16 fighter jets fired at the Syrian aircraft, which crashed on the territory of Syria near Dursunlu and Emek villages of southern Hatay province of Turkey, local NTV news channel quoted Turkish military sources as saying.

However, Syria's official TV said the downed aircraft was a small remotely controlled surveillance plane.

In 2013, Turkish warplanes shot down a Syrian helicopter at the border region with Syria after the chopper allegedly violated Turkish airspace.

In June 2012, the Syrian air defenses shot down a Turkish fighter jet that reportedly penetrated the Syrian territorial water.

Turkey has emerged throughout the Syrian crisis as a main sympathizer with the rebellion against the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While, the Syrian government accuses Turkey of allowing the foreign militants to cross into Syria from Turkey freely.

Ankara has also been working with Washington in a joint program to train a total of 15,000 Syrian rebel fighters during a three-year period. Endit