Turkey warned Russian jet 10 times

A Russian warplane was shot down at the Turkish-Syrian border earlier Tuesday after repeatedly ignoring warnings that it was violating Turkish airspace.

“Today’s tragic event will have serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations”, Putin said during a televised meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

A United States defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the timing, but said it remained unknown if Turkey had fired on one of the jets as it was in Turkish airspace, or after it had crossed back into Syria.

Celik also said the rebels shot and killed both Russian pilots who parachuted from the plane after it was shot down.

The fighter, who was identified as Alpaslan Celik, the second-in-command of the Turkmen Coastal Division, said the Turkmen forces had re-captured a Turkmen mountain region from Syrian forces.

“Despite being warned 10 times in five minutes because it was coming towards our border, it insisted on continuing its violation”.

The Russian defense ministry said the fate of the pilots was not yet clear.

Russian Federation has provided Assad’s government with military and diplomatic support throughout the more than four-year civil war in Syria.

Turkey has expressed anger at the operation, saying it is aimed at buttressing the Syrian regime and has displaced thousands of Turkmen Syrians, an ethnic minority in the area and strong allies of Ankara.

Turkey and Russian Federation have always been at loggerheads over the Syrian conflict, with Ankara seeking Assad’s overthrow while Moscow does everything to keep him in power. IS claimed responsibility for the downing of a Russian passenger jet in Egypt on October 31, killing all 244 people on board.

The Turkish military last month also shot down a Russian-made drone that had entered its airspace. But Moscow denied the drone belonged to its forces. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 CT Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.