Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015.(Photo: AP)
One of the two pilots of a Russian warplane that was shot down by Turkey was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>rescued early Wednesday, Russia said.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian media that the man<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is "safe and sound" at a Russian air base in Syria.
Russia's ambassador to France, Alexander Orlov, told Europe 1 radio that the pilot was rescued by<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces. The other pilot was reported to have been shot and killed by rebels in Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said both crew members<span style="color: Red;">*</span>will receive state awards, and the dead pilot<span style="color: Red;">*</span>will get the Hero of Russia honor posthumously.
USA TODAY
Reports: Turkey shoots down Russian fighter jet
Shoigu on Wednesday said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Russia will move its new anti-aircraft missiles<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to the Hmeimim air base<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in a government-controlled part of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Syria, Russian news agency TASS reported.
On Tuesday, Alpaslan Celik, a spokesman of a Turkmen rebel force, told multiple media outlets that rebels fatally shot the two pilots. Turkmen, ethnic Turks who live in Syria near the border with Turkey, are among the rebel groups that have been fighting to oust<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Assad, who is backed by Russia, since 2011.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that his country does not want to escalate tensions with Russia over the incident.
USA TODAY
Putin vows 'tragic consequences' for Turkey
Erdogan said Turkey favors "peace, dialogue and diplomacy," but defended his country's actions and said "no one should expect Turkey to stay silent to border violations or the violation of its rights."
Turkey says the plane entered its airspace and that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>it issued 10 warnings<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in five minutes, but Russia's defense ministry denied the aircraft<span style="color: Red;">*</span>left Syria. The plane<span style="color: Red;">*</span>went down in the Bayirbucak region of northwestern Syria near the Turkish border.
Putin on Tuesday called the downing of the plane "a stab in Russia's back delivered by terrorist accomplices" and said the plane posed no threat to Turkey.
The Russian jet appeared to enter Turkish airspace briefly, a U.S. Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the incident told USA TODAY.
A U.S.-led coalition has been bombing Islamic State targets in Syria but has accused Russia of targeting U.S.-backed rebels such as the Turkmen instead of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
USA TODAY
Obama: Islamic State must be destroyed
Contributing: John Bacon and Tom Vanden Brook
Powered By WizardRSS.com |
Full Text RSS Feed
