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Downing of Russian jet sign of Turkish support to terrorists: Syrian army

Xinhua, November 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Turkish downing of the Russian warplane earlier on Tuesday in Syria leaves no doubt about Ankara's support to the terrorist groups in Syria, Syrian Military General Command said in a statement.

The statement came after Turkey war jets shot down a Russian military aircraft near the Syrian-Turkish borders on Tuesday morning.

"Turkey provides all kinds of support to the terrorist groups, which have started collapsing under the heavy strikes of the Syrian army," the statement said.

"These desperate and aggressive acts will only make us more determined to continue our war on terrorism with the support of friends, on top of which is Russia," the statement said.

Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that a Su-24 warplane crashed near the Syrian-Turkish borders, after it was hit by the Turkish air force, which claimed that the Russian plane violated the Turkish airspace.

Moscow totally dismissed the allegation, saying the plane was flying inside the Syrian airspace.

Tension between Moscow and Ankara has sparked after the attack.

Observers believe Turkey's move came in retaliation to the Russian airstrikes against Turkmen rebels, who are backed by Turkey, in northern Syria. Endit