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Russian transport chopper downed in terrorists-held area in Syria: defense ministry

Xinhua, August 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Russian Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down by gunfire in Syrian territory controlled by terrorists previously known as al-Nusra Front, Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

"According to our information, the helicopter was shot down from the ground over the area under the control of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorist group and associated so-called moderate opposition units," said Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Main Operational Directorate.

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham was previously known as the al-Nusra Front before breaking ties with al-Qaida and changing its name.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said the helicopter was shot down in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib by gunfire from the ground while returning to the Hmeimim Air Base after delivering humanitarian aid to the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Rudskoi called the downing a terrorist act against Russian forces, which were deployed in Syria with the aim to help Syrian government fight terrorists.

Kremlin confirmed earlier in the day that all five people on board the downed Mi-8 were killed.

According to Rudskoi, Russian air forces actively supported government troops to repel enemy attacks and carried out selective strikes on militant positions.

"The Syrian army troops and the national militia, with the support of Russian aviation, repelled a militant attack at 4 a.m. today. More than 800 militants were killed, and 14 tanks, 10 infantry fighting vehicles, and more than 60 vehicles with mounted weapons destroyed," Rudskoi was quoted in an official statement.

The spokesman criticized the terrorist groups Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham for conducting over 100 attacks in Syria's northern province of Aleppo in the last two months, with constant shellings of residential areas.

Rudskoi also said Russia fully supports the UN initiative on "improving the modalities of the Russia-Syrian humanitarian operation in Aleppo."

As Moscow and Damascus on Thursday launched a large-scale humanitarian operation in Aleppo, Rudskoi confirmed seven corridors were opened for rescue and aid delivery, as well as a separate one for militants to surrender.

In a bid to quell the prolonged crisis, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree on Thursday, offering amnesty to rebels who lay down their arms and surrender to authorities within a three-month deadline starting July 28.

Meanwhile, the Syrian army engaged in intense battles on Monday, as rebels unleashed a wide-scale offensive in Aleppo to break a siege imposed recently by the Syrian army. Endit