Fighter plane shot down over Syria by militant group - local reports

A fighter plane, was shot down over the Syrian province of Hama on Saturday afternoon by the militant group Ahrar al Sham.

The pilot, who was seen parachuting to the ground is said to have been rescued by Syrian regime forces.

It was not immediately clear if the plane was a Russian or Syrian plane.

The Syrian government on Saturday said the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad remains a "red line," just two days ahead of renewed talks to put an end to the war.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said meanwhile that the indirect negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition were likely to go ahead as planned on Monday in Geneva.

The UN-brokered talks are the latest push by the international community to find a solution to Syria's five-year war, which has left more than 270,000 people dead.

Both the government and the main opposition group, the Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee, have agreed to attend the talks after the last round collapsed in February.

But the fate of Assad would not be on the negotiating table, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told a Damascus news conference.

"We will not talk with anyone who wants to discuss the presidency... Bashar al-Assad is a red line," Muallem said....http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/105920-160312-assad-ouster-red-line-for-regime-syria-fm
12/3/16
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