Turkey shoots down Russian fighter jet

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation reports that Russian Su-24 bomber was shot down on Turkish-Syrian border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced Turkey as a backstabber in the fight against Islamic State militants, and said the jet posed no threat to the Turkish republic.

In Tuesday’s incident, the Turkish army said the plane was shot down by two Turkish F-16s after violating Turkish airspace 10 times within a five-minute period.

Mr Putin said the plane was struck 1km inside Syria, while attacking what he claimed were concentrations of Russian-born Islamic State fighters “who could return to Russia at any time”.

BRUSSELS, Belgium-The situation following the downing of a Russian jet by Turkey is very serious, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Secretary General told Rudaw Tuesday, urging all sides to remain prudent and prevent further escalation.

“We will never tolerate such crimes like the one committed today”, Putin said.

The Turkmen militia, fighting the Syrian government in the area, claimed to have killed both pilots as they were parachuting from their jet after it was hit.

“The immediate implication of the shooting down of the aircraft is likely to remain limited to a diplomatic crisis”, IHS Janes said.

Stoltenberg said he had warned repeatedly of the dangers posed by Russia’s massive air campaign against rebels seeking to oust long-time ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Sputnik quoted him as saying that the jet fell “four kilometers away from the border, within Syrian airspace”.

October 3: One Russian fighter plane crossed into Turkish airspace near Yayladagi. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled a visit to Turkey that had been due on Wednesday. “I cannot qualify what happened today in any other way”, Putin said during a televised meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan.

The statement said Obama had emphasised in the telephone talks that Turkey’s right to defend its sovereignty was “supported by the United States and NATO”.

Last week, Turkey summoned Russian ambassador Andrey G. Karlov and called for an immediate end to Russia’s military operation close to the Turkish border.