Syria rebels release captured government pilot
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A Syrian monitoring group and an Arab TV station say a Syrian government pilot whose plane was downed in rebel territory in the country's east has been released by the rebels.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the pilot was released Friday, along with over 30 other captured soldiers.
The pan Arab Al-Mayadeen TV station also reported the pilot's release. The pilot was captured in mid-August after the rebels shot down a government warplane in a desert area where Syrian troops and their allies are on the offensive. The government is seeking to dislodge US-backed rebel forces from the area. It is also on the offensive there to secure its access to the largely Islamic State-held Deir el-Zour province.
According to the Observatory, the deal included the release of detainees held in government prisons.
