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Syria rebels target Russian gunship in Latakia: monitor

Xinhua, November 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

A Russian helicopter gunship has made an emergency landing in Syria's Latakia province after it was hit by the rebels on Tuesday, a monitor group reported.

The Russian gunship landed in a government-controlled area in the coastal province of Latakia in northwestern Syria, after the rebel militants targeted it, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The attack came just hours after the Turkish air force shot down a Russian warplane in the northern countryside of Latakia near the Syrian-Turkish borders.

The Turks said the warplane had violated the Turkish airspace, a claim totally dismissed by Moscow, which said the jet was flying inside the Syrian airspace.

Meanwhile, the rebels Free Syrian Army (FSA) released a footage, showing the targeting of the Russian gunship with a TOW missile.

Meanwhile, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said the military campaign in the northern countryside of Latakia without being interrupted by the downing of the Russian warplane.

The Syrian army backed by the Russian airstrikes have made strides against the rebels in the northern Latakia close to the Turkish borders, a matter read by local analysts and government officials as the reason behind the Turkish downing of the Russian warplane and the targeting of the Russian gunship.

The Syrian army released a statement on Tuesday, condemning the Turkish move as a violation to the Syrian sovereignty, accusing Turkey of backing the terrorist groups in northern Syria. Endit