Putin takes his revenge as Russian forces launched at least a dozen airstrikes against insurgent-held areas near the Turkey-Syria border where the Sukhoi SU-24 fighter jet was shot down by the Turkish army yesterday. Check it out:



Heavy bombardment hit areas controlled by Turkmen rebels, the group claiming to have shot and killed one of the pilots of the Russian jet as he parachuted out of the flaming wreckage, and attempted to kill his co-pilot.

The rebel group released a video showing them cheering and chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ as they discovered the body of Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, who will now receive Russia’s highest state honour posthumously.

President Vladimir Putin today confirmed that the surviving pilot, identified as Captain Konstantin Murahtin, had been rescued by Russian military in a 12-hour long joint operation with Syrian government forces, and taken to a Russian air base.

He also responded by deploying one of the most fearsome weapons in the Russian military arsenal – the S-400 anti-aircraft system. The highly advanced missile system is capable of downing aircraft 250 miles away that are travelling at a height of 60,000 ft.

However, in a statement released this evening, Turkey claimed it had no idea the jet violating its airspace was Russian.

At least 12 air strikes hit Latakia’s northern countryside as pro-government forces clashed with fighters from al Qaeda’s Nusra Front and Turkmen insurgents in the Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkman areas, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A commander of the Turkmen, ethnic Turks who are Syrian citizens, said missiles fired from Russian warships in the Mediterranean were also hitting the area, as well as heavy artillery shelling.

Hassan Haj Ali, the head of Liwa Suqour al-Jabal, a rebel group operating in western Syria, also said there were fierce battles in the area, with Russian aircraft supporting pro-government forces.

Another local rebel leader, Jahed Ahmad, says the Russians appear to be taking ‘revenge’ for the plane’s downing by Turkey, a key backer of the rebels in the area.

Speaking from inside Syria via Skype on Wednesday, he says the Russian jets were providing cover for advancing Syrian ground forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies.

Speaking after his rescue, Cpt. Murahtin flatly denied there were any warnings from Turkish F16 pilots that his plane was about to be shot out of the sky, despite audio recordings of the warnings and confirmation that they were broadcast by U.S. military.



‘There was no warning, by radio exchange nor visually. There was no contact at all,’ he said. ‘The Turks did not get in touch with us.’

‘We were flying at about 6,000-metre altitude. The weather was sunny, what we call “million-by-million”,’ he said.
‘All the flight before the moment when the missile exploded was completely under my control. I could clearly see with the map and visually where the borders were and where we were.

Speaking at an impromtu press conference at the Russian Hemeimeem air base in Syria after his rescue, he claimed that there ‘wasn’t even a threat of entering Turkish airspace’.

‘If they wanted to warn us, they could have showed themselves by flying at a parallel course. But there was nothing.

‘And the missile hit the tail of our plane all of a sudden. We didn’t see it visually. To have enough time to do an anti-missile manoeuvre.’

Cpt Murahtin told of how he landed in rebel held territory where he spent several hours hiding in a forest’ before being found using his radio beacon.



He was rescued after an 18-strong Syrian SWAT team backed by six fighters from the elite division of Shia Hezbollah movement, and then spirited to the Hemeimeem air base.

After ejecting and parachuting to rebel held territory, he spent several hours hiding in a forest before being found using his radio beacon. He was then spirited to the Hemeimeem air base.

He is appealing to his commanders to allow him to remain in Syria after his close shave with death.

‘Of course, I can’t wait to return. I will ask my commander to let me stay at this airbase. I have a debt to repay to the commander.’

Wow, what an amazing soldier. It is great that he wants to stay and continue to fight. Agree of Disagree with Putin, you have to admire him for having a spine- something Obama is severely lacking.

http://rightwingnews.com/world/putin-takes-his-revenge-russia-unleashes-bombardment-on-region-held-by-rebels-who-killed-his-men/

isokay

Way to go my James Bond president!!!

if i should choose between putin and obama i would go for PUTIN . at least he believes that people should be ruled by common sense (which should be based on moral principles) unlike the gay

Yawns!! Russia prefers propaganda to confronting its embarrassing slap

Even though NATO is talking in the open that they are with Turkey but their actions and words are blaming Turkey for miss firing.