Rebel video claims to show captured Syrian pilot

By Bassem Mroue

Associated Press

Published: Monday, Aug. 13 2012 10:20 a.m. MDT

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This image made from amateur video released by the Ugarit News and accessed Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, purports to show Syrian government forces who were captured at a checkpoint by Free Syrian Army soldiers, unseen, in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, Syria.

Ugarit News via AP video) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO, Associated Press

Summary

A video issued by Syrian rebels purports to show a captured pilot who ejected from a warplane they claim they downed.

BEIRUT — A video issued by Syrian rebels purports to show a captured pilot who ejected from a warplane they claim they downed.

The authenticity of the video shown on the pan-Arab network Al-Arabiya could not be independently confirmed. But it comes amid conflicting accounts over the MiG fighter.

Rebels claim they shot down the plane over eastern Syria. The Syrian government says a warplane experienced malfunctions and the pilot was forced to eject.

If the rebel claim proves true, it could mark a significant jump in their ability to combat widening air attacks from President Bashar Assad's forces.

In the video, a man identifies himself as the pilot as he is surrounded by three armed men. He says he has been treated well and urges officers to defect from Assad's military.

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