Syrian army helicopter crashes; crew captured by rebels
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AMMAN - A Syrian military helicopter crashed in northwestern Syria on Sunday and at least four of its crew were captured by rebels, according to a monitoring group.
Video footage on social media showed a helicopter crashing in the distance. Photographs posted showed one of the crew apparently executed on the spot and an injured pilot taken by rebels from the wreckage.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence in the country, said at least four of the six- man crew were taken hostage by the al-Qaeda offshoot, the Nusra front.
Syrian television said the plane encountered a technical problem and was forced to make an emergency landing and not downed as claimed by rebels.
