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1st LD: Syrian rebels shoot down warplane near Hama

Xinhua, March 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

Syrian armed militant groups shot down a Syrian war jet in the countryside of the central province of Hama on Saturday, the Syrian military confirmed.

The military accused the armed terrorist groups of violating the cessation of hostilities in the countryside of Hama, by shooting down the war jet when it's landing near an airbase.

Opposition activists, meanwhile, said the rebels downed the warplane in the northern countryside of Hama, near a military airbase under the government control.

They said the warplane was striking rebel positions in the Kafar Nabodeh town in Hama countryside.

They also posted an online video purporting to show the warplane while striking and later the rebels shooting it down later. The video also showed the pilot parachuting out of his falling jet.

It's not immediately clear whether or not the countryside of Hama is controlled by rebels who are included in the cessation of hostilities plan, as the United Nations has excluded the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the Islamic State from the deal. Endit