Tuesday, November 24, 2015

TURKEY DOWNS RUSSIAN WARPLANE



It's lit to pop and nobody's gonna stop:
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey shot down a Russian warplane Tuesday, claiming it had violated Turkish airspace and ignored repeated warnings. Russia denied that the plane crossed the Syrian border into Turkish skies. 
"We are looking into the circumstances of the crash of the Russian jet," Russia's Defense Ministry said. "The Ministry of Defense would like to stress that the plane was over the Syrian territory throughout the flight." 
Russia said the Su-24 was downed by artillery fire, but Turkey claimed that its F-16s fired on the Russian plane after it ignored several warnings. The ministry said the pilots parachuted but added that Moscow had no further contact with them. 
Video footage of the incident showed a warplane on fire before crashing on a hill and two crew members apparently parachuting safely. 
Turkey's private Dogan news agency said two Russian helicopters, flying low over the Turkmen Bayirbucak region, searched for the two pilots. 
A Turkish military statement said the plane entered Turkish airspace over the town of Yayladagi, in Hatay province. 
"On Nov. 24, 2015 at around 09.20 a.m, a plane whose nationality is not known violated the Turkish airspace despite several warnings (10 times within five minutes) in the area of Yayladagi, Hatary," the military said before the plane's nationality was confirmed. 
"Two F-16 planes on aerial patrol duty in the area intervened against the plane in question in accordance with the rules of engagement at 09.24 a.m." It said the plane was warned 10 times within the space of 5 minutes.

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