‘Al Qaeda affiliated & Turkish backed militias are trying to take responsibility, but it is certainly known that Turkey targeted this helicopter,’ Babak Taghvaee, journalist and military aviation analyst.
Taken on Feb. 11, 2020, the shocking video in this article was posted by journalist and military aviation analyst, Babak Taghvaee on its Twitter account and shows the moment a Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) belonging to the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) is shot-down over Al-Nayrab.
The footage shows the Russian-made helicopter in flames before breaking up and crashing into the ground.
The Mi-17 was downed south of Idlib city, where rebels supported by Turkish artillery were advancing near the town of Nairab to push back Russian-led forces, Abdulah al Shami, a commander in a coalition of mainstream rebel factions, told Reuters.
As reported by The New York Times, on Feb. 10, Turkish forces hit 115 Syrian government targets and destroyed 101 of them in retaliation for an attack that killed five Turkish soldiers in Syria’s rebel-held northwest, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.
“Up to now, 115 (Syrian) regimen targets were immediately fired upon, and 101 regime elements were neutralized according to initial information from various sources,” the ministry said in a statement. “It was found that three tanks and two mortar positions were destroyed, while one helicopter was also hit.”
According to Taghvaee the ‘Mi-17 utility helicopter of Syria Arab Air Force was shot down over Al-Nayrab, Idlib. Al Qaeda affiliated & Turkish backed militias are trying to take responsibility, but it is certainly known that Turkey targeted this helicopter.’
