Special to WorldTribune.com

AMMAN — For the first time since the Sunni revolt, a Syrian Air
Force pilot has escaped with his fighter-jet in an effort to seek political
asylum.

Officials said a Syrian Air Force pilot Col. Hassan Hammadeh abandoned a
training mission in Syria and flew into Jordan with his MiG-21 fighter-jet.

They said Hammadeh landed his jet at King Hussein Air Base in Mafraq and requested asylum.

“He was received in a respectful manner and would be questioned,” an official said.

Jordanian Information Minister Samih Maaytah confirmed the arrival of the Syrian MiG-21 on June 21. Maaytah did not elaborate.

This marked the first defection by a Syrian Air Force pilot and his
fighter-jet since the start of the Sunni revolt in March 2011. The air
force, which has participated in strikes on rebel strongholds, has been
regarded as the most loyal wing of the military to President Bashar Assad.

The Free Syrian Army said Hammadeh had been based in southern Syria near the border with Jordan. FSA said it had been in contact with the Syrian pilot to aid his defection.

The defection was reported hours after a leading U.S. daily asserted
that the CIA was working with Sunni rebels to oust Assad. The New York Times
reported that CIA operatives in Turkey were facilitating the flow of such
weapons as automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition and
anti-tank missiles to the rebels and considering providing intelligence on
the Syrian military.

The Assad regime reported the disappearance of a MiG-21 during an
exercise. No further details were reported.

Officials said Jordan would probably provide Hammadeh with safe passage
to leave for a third country. They said the government would not allow the
use of the Hashemite kingdom for anti-Assad activities.

  Bahsar Assad, Col. Hassan Hammadeh, defects to Jordan, first Syria Air Force pilot defection since 2011, Free Syrian Army, King Hussein Air Base in Mafraq, Syrian pilot defects to Jordan with MiG-21