The attempt to shoot-down the Russian Su-24 bomber in the Syrian province of Idlib on February 20 was carried out, allegedly, by the Turkish military, and not Islamic militants supported by Ankara.
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The news agency A24 published a video showing the militants of the pro-Turkish “National Front for Liberation” for the assault on Neyrab. The combat launch from the Stinger man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) on a Russian plane also got into the frame.
The video clearly shows that the launch of a rocket from MANPADS FIM-92 Stinger demonstrates a person in Turkish military uniform.
This cannot be judged as a clear evidence of Turkish military involvement since Ankara carries out mass deliveries of military equipment to rebels. However, later Twitter user @obretix was able to locate the rocket launch site, which turned out to be a building on the territory of the newly created Turkish “observation post” on the road between the city of Idlib and the village of Kminas.
Earlier, Turkey requested the U.S. to deploy two Patriot missile-defence batteries on its southern border to prevent any future attacks by Russian-backed Syrian troops. The declaration was almost instantly followed on Thursday by a spate of violence that left two Turkish soldiers dead and five wounded in Idlib, emphasizing the risks as two adamant powers assert their influence in northwestern Syria.
