Syrian rebels say documented downing of army chopper
Video uploaded by 'Al-Islam Brigade' allegedly shows missile hitting helicopter over Damascus suburb
Opposition sources in Syria uploaded a video allegedly showing the tracking and interception of an army helicopter over a Damascus suburb. In the video, a type of war room manned by air defense experts can also be seen.
The rebels claim to have used the Russian-made OSA air defense system to track and then down the helicopter.
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The video is attributed to the "Al-Islam Brigade," one of the armed rebel groups operating on the outskirts of the capital. In the video, members of the group can be seen yelling "Allahu Akbar (God is great)" when a missile allegedly hits the Syrian army helicopter.
The London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper said Sunday there were different versions regarding the manner in which the rebels got their hands on the air defense system. According to one version, the rebels took the system from a Syrian army base, but according to another version they obtained a sort of duplicate of the OSA system from the Syrian-Jordanian border.
The Syrian army usually dismantles its defense systems before withdrawing its soldiers from different areas.
According to reports in Syria, seven civilians –including 11 children – have been killed over the past 24 hours during fighting between President Bashar Assad's forces and rebels in the Homs and Aleppo districts.
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