Turkey has shot down a Russian war plane near the Syrian border, saying it had repeatedly violated its airspace. The Turkish military has released what it says is a radar trail map showing the locations where the plane entered and left its airspace. It says the SU-24 jet had been warned 10 times in five minutes, and two of its F-16 jets then shot down the Russian plane.
Turkish television pictures show the jet exploding and crashing in a ball of flames into a Syrian mountain. Two crew members repotedly ejected as their burning aircraft plunged into a Syrian hillside. Video footage has shown what appears to be the dead body of one of the flyers, surrounded by armed rebels. Both Turkey and Russia summoned the other’s diplomatic representatives. And Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled a visit to Turkey that had been scheduled for Wednesday. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu defended the downing as a necessary and legal measure against border violations. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the the plane had been attacked when it was one kilometer inside Syria, calling Turkey’s action a ‘stab in the back.
