In the News Syria Rebels Launch Rocket Attack On Rescue Helicopter Which Kills Russian Marine

Russian fighter jet was shot down by Syrain rebels and then a Russian marine was reportedly killed by Syrian rebels who used an American rocket launcher to blow up a rescue helicopter searching for the pilots of a warplane downed by Turkey.

Footage from private Turkish broadcaster Haberturk TV showed the warplane going down in flames in a woodland area, a long plume of smoke trailing behind it. The plane went down in area known by Turks as "Turkmen Mountain", it said.

Two pilots managed to eject from the jet and were seen landing with the help of parachutes.

The jet is reported to be a Russian Su-24 flown by a pair of Russian pilots, with one believed to have been captured by Syrian rebels from the Alweya Al-Ashar (Brigade of the 10th) which consists of Turkmen with strong links to Turkey.

Russian state media reported that the marine was killed by fighters from the Free Syrian Army rebel group who shelled search and rescue teams hunting for the two stricken airmen.

A stunned reporter broke the news - which will add to growing tensions between Vladimir Putin and Turkey - by saying it "couldn't be any worse".

The shocking revelations come after the militant group released a video showing one of its fighters using an American-made anti-tank gun to destroy a Russian helicopter sent into northern Syria to rescue the pair.

In the disturbing film released by the Free Syrian Army a missile can be seen travelling towards the stricken chopper, which has landed in a mountainous area, before it explodes in a huge fireball.

Moments earlier a single soldier is seen assembling a US manufactured TOW portable anti-tank missile launcher on a hillside before taking aim at the helicopter.

A narrator triumphantly gloats over the top of the video exclaiming "Allahu Akbar" - meaning "God is great" - as the missile hits and mangled wreckage from the craft is blasted into the air.

Earlier the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said that the search and rescue helicopter had been forced to make an emergency landing after being shot at with a missile by Syrian rebels.

It was not immediately clear whether or not any Russian military personnel were in the helicopter at the time of the explosion. The shocking footage was posted on Twitter by an expert analyst in the Middle East but has not been independently verified.

The Russian helicopter had been scrambled to the crash scene to search for survivors after the jet was shot down following 10 warnings in five minutes to leave Turkish airspace, a Turkish military official has said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that the search and rescue helicopter was placed under fire by Syrian rebels.

The helicopter pilot was forced into a landing after being hit by a rocket fired by rebels

He was initially thought to be alive but rebels have now said they have recovered both pilots' bodies.

The second pilot is believed to have died in the crash after footage was released by Syrian rebels appearing to show them crowding around a body saying "Allahu Akbar" - God is Great in Arabic.

A Turkish offical said: "The data we have is very clear. There were two planes approaching our border, we warned them as they were getting too close.

"We warned them to avoid entering Turkish airspace before they did, and we warned them many times. Our findings show clearly that Turkish airspace was violated multiple times. And they violated it knowingly," the official said.

A second official said the incident was not an action against any specific country but a move to defend Turkey's sovereign territory within its rules of engagement.

Russia is currently fighting in Syria with President Bashar al-Assad's troops against the rebels and Islamic State (ISIS).

Sources say the brigade has now launched "a counter-offensive" against President Bashar and Russian troops in a bid to take back the Turkman mountains.

Russia will not take this lightly...
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