Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — Sunni rebels have reported downing a Syrian Air Force
fighter-jet.

Sunni rebels said they shot down a Russian-origin MiG-21 fighter-jet on
Aug. 13. The rebels said the warplane was struck by anti-aircraft fire during a
mission in eastern Syria near the border with Turkey.

“A MiG fighter jet has been hit in the [Syrian] town of Mohassen,”
rebels said in a video shown on YouTube.

This marked the first time the rebels claimed to have downed a Syrian
fighter-jet. In July, rebels said they destroyed a Russian-origin helicopter over Damascus, a claim disputed by Western diplomats.

The regime of President Bashar Assad has acknowledged that a warplane crashed. Syrian state television said the unidentified aircraft was on a “routine training mission” and that the pilot ejected.

The rebels said the MiG pilot was captured in the eastern province of
Dir Al Zour. The pilot was identified as Col. Mufid Suleiman, shown in the rebel video.

“We will treat this prisoner according to what is required of us by our
religion, our morals and the protocols in the Geneva Convention related to
prisoners of war,” rebel Capt. Abu Laith said.

The rebels said the downing marked the first successful anti-aircraft
operation against the Syrian Air Force. They said the rebels operated a 14.5mm anti-aircraft gun acquired from neighboring Turkey.

In July, the rebels received their first shipment of SA-7 surface-to-air
missiles. The SA-7 has been fired by rebels during the battle for Aleppo,
Syria’s largest city, which on Aug. 13 was raided by Syrian Army troops.

  14.5mm anti-aircraft gun, Bashar Assad, Capt. Abu Laith, Rebel video shows pilot of downed Syrian MiG fighter, Russian-origin MiG-21, town of Mohassen