Helo Had Violated Turkish Airspace And Was Not Responsive

A pair of Turkish warplanes have shot down a Syrian Mi-17 attack helicopter that violated Turkish airspace and did not respond to repeated warnings to retreat, according to military sources. It is the first aerial conflict between Turkey and Syria since the Syrian civil war broke out over two years ago.

The aircraft apparently went down about a half-mile inside Syria, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal and other sources. 

Speaking from Ankara, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said "The helicopter strayed two kilometers into Turkey and was warned repeatedly by the air defense system. As the breach continued, it was shot down at 2:25 p.m. with a missile shot by our jets scrambled from Malatya, and it fell on the Syrian side."

While it is the first time a Syrian aircraft has been shot down in such an incident, it is not the first time Turkish airplanes have been scrambled to deter Syrian aircraft from flying too close to the border. Such sorties have been going on for more than a year.

Media reports out of Syria indicate that one pilot of the helicopter may have survived. A spokesman for the rebel group Ahfad al-Rasoul said that one of the pilots "took a shot to his left shoulder and hit the ground already deceased." He reportedly was buried at the site where the helicopter went down. A second pilot reportedly parachuted out of the aircraft and returned to Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said NATO and the U.N. would be briefed on the incident. Speaking unofficially at a U.N. meeting in Paris, Davutoglu said "no one will have the courage to violate Turkish airspace again."

FMI: www.nato.int