Syrian military helicopter crashes, insurgents capture crew, activists say
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Syrian insurgents captured several government airmen after their helicopter crashed in a rebel-held area of northwestern Syria on Sunday, activists said.
The Idlib Media Center and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the helicopter went down near Jabal al-Zawiya, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the town of Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province.
The aircraft experienced a technical malfunction and made an emergency crash-landing, according to the Observatory.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Syria's state news agency confirmed that a helicopter had crashed in Idlib after a mechanical problem and said the authorities were looking for the crew.
Observatory director Rami Abdurrahman said opposition fighters, including from the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front, had taken four crew members prisoner. Another airman survived the crash but was reportedly killed by his captors, and the fate of a suspected sixth airman is unknown, Abdurrahman said.
An amateur video posted online showed armed fighters inspecting the wreckage of the helicopter, which had rolled onto its side on a rocky hill. The aircraft's blue undercarriage was partially torn and the nose badly damaged.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Photographs posted by activists online showed the same crash site and at least two airmen in rebel custody.
One photo posted on a Twitter account associated with the Nusra Front in Idlib showed what it said was a captured helicopter crew member with a bandage wrapped around his head. The man is flanked by two armed militants in masks.
The video and photographs appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Syrian military frequently uses helicopters to drop crude barrel bombs — giant canisters packed with hundreds of pounds of explosives and scrap metal-— on rebel-held towns and neighborhoods.