Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Video: Syrian Army helicopter comes down and one crew member is 'executed' in the country's rebel-held north

The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights reported that four crew members were captured and one was executed at the crash site

Jack Simpson
Monday 23 March 2015 06:24 EDT
Comments
Rebels and locals flocked to see the wreckage of the downed plane (AFP/Getty)
Rebels and locals flocked to see the wreckage of the downed plane (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A video has captured the moment a Syrian Army helicopter came down in a north-western rebel-held area of the country, leading to four crew members being captured and one being killed, a monitoring group has said.

The amateur footage taken over the weekend shows the helicopter crashing in the Jabal al-Zawiya in Idlib province, an area held by anti-government fighters including the al-Qaeda backed group the al-Nusra front.

Images of the downed craft were circulated across social media showing the helicopter’s nose damaged and its undercarriage ripped away.

Rebel fighters as well as a number of locals can be seen surveying the wreckage.

The SOHR said that the craft was forced to make an emergency landing after it had got into trouble in the rocky hills over near the near the northern town of Maarat al-Numan.

Syria’s state news agency confirmed that the craft had been forced to make an emergency landing after it had experienced “technical problems”.

Barrel bombs are large cylindrical devices packed with large amounts of explosives that can cause indiscriminate damage and devastation far beyond their intended targets.

In February, President Bashar al-Assad denied that the Syrian Army used barrel bombs.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in