MOSCOW, January 18 (Sputnik) — The Nusra Front, the branch of al-Qaeda in Syria, have claimed that they had shot down a Syrian cargo plane filled with food and ammunition, Reuters reports citing the group’s social media accounts.
According to the reports in social media, the plane was shot down in Idlib province in the north west of the country.
Syrian state television quoted a military source as saying the cargo plane crashed due to "weather conditions and heavy fog" on Saturday. The crew died in the plane crash as they attempted to land at Abu al-Duhur military airport in Idlib province.
During the ongoing military conflict several Syrian air force jets and helicopters were shot down by militants. Last month, the Islamic State downed Jordanian plane in northeastern Syria. The pilot was taken prisoner.
The civil war in Syria has been raging since March 2011. According to the UN reports, by now the conflict has taken lives of more than 200,000 people.
