TheCable

One of the pilots from a Russian jet reportedly shot down by Turkish forces near the Syrian border has been captured by rebels, according to a Syrian rebel official.

“Our information so far is that one Russian pilot was captured,” Ousama Abu-Zeid, a legal adviser to the Free Syrian Army rebel alliance told journalists on Tuesday.

“We still do not know which rebel group has the pilot,” Zeid said.

Rebel groups operating in the Jabal al-Turkoman area where the plane crashed include moderate forces, Syrian al-Qaeda affiliate, the al-Nusra Front, and Turkoman rebels backed by Ankara.

Russia, a strong ally of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad began airstrikes in that country in late September, targeting militant groups opposed to the government.

Quoting presidential sources, Anadolu, a Turkish news agency, said the country’s military officials shot the plane for “violating” its airspace.

The agency said the pilot ejected himself from the aircraft.