Syrian rebels claim downing Russian warplane in Idlib

DAMASCUS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Syrian rebels on Saturday shot down a suspected Russian warplane that was carrying out airstrikes on the countryside of Idlib Province in the northwest of the country, a monitor group reported.

The warplane was brought down over the city of Saraqeb in the eastern countryside of Idlib, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The destiny of the pilot is still unknown, even though he was seen parachuting and landing after his war jet was hit, the monitor group said.

But British Sky News TV said the Russian pilot was captured by the rebels.

There was no immediate comment from Damascus or Moscow on the incident.

The London-based monitor, which says it relies on a network of activists on ground, said Saraqeb had suffered 50 airstrikes on Saturday.

A day earlier, a military source told Xinhua that the Syrian army was just a few kilometers from Saraqeb, a key bastion of the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee (LLC) in Idlib, after a two-month-long offensive by the Russian-backed Syrian army in the area. Enditem