Report: Russia aided Syria to shoot jet - United Press Internationalhttp://bit.ly/QN1rw3
Report: Russia aided Syria to shoot jet
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Published: July 1, 2012 at 8:12 AM
LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- A British newspaper reported Sunday that Russian technicians were involved in shooting down the Turkish fighter jet last month.
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Quoting unnamed Middle East diplomats as its source, The Sunday Times said the shooting of the Turkish jet was a warning to NATO to stay out of the conflict in Syria that has seen more than 14,000 deaths.
The BBC earlier reported Turkey had dispatched troops to reinforce its border with Syria.
Russia supplied Syria with advanced anti-aircraft systems three years ago and sent specialists to train the Syrian force to use the equipment, The Times said. Russian specialists are believed to still be stationed at some missile battery centers inside Syria, the paper said.
An unnamed Israeli air force official told the paper, "We would not be surprised if these Russian experts, if they didn't push the button, at least were beside the Syrian officers who did."
"It definitely has Russian fingerprints on it," a diplomat told the newspaper, adding that Russia's intended message appears to be: "Syria is not Libya and any attempt to impose a no fly zone over Syria will face one of the most formidable air defenses on Earth and will cost any attacker dearly."
Russian media said the plane was testing Syrian airspace on NATO's behalf and claimed Turkey was monitoring Syrian radio traffic and other electronic activity and passing the information to other NATO members, The Times said.
The unarmed jet entered Syrian airspace briefly on June 22 after conducting a reconnaissance patrol in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey's deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said, adding that it was shot down some 13 miles off the coast in international airspace. The two Turkish airmen are still missing.
Following the incident, Ankara requested an emergency meeting with NATO's 28 member states. Following the meeting a statement issued by NATO Secretary-General Fogh Rasmussen said "we consider this act to be unacceptable and condemn it in the strongest terms."
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/07/01/Report-Russia-aided-Syria-to-shoot-jet/UPI-38541341144771/#ixzz1zNTvDYrl
