BEIRUT — The Syrian wing of Al-Qaeda, the Nusra Front, said it shot down an army cargo plane filled with food and ammunition overnight in the northwest of the country. The report, which appeared on the group's social media accounts, could not be immediately confirmed. State news did not mention the downing of the plane, which the Nusra Front said happened near the army-controlled Abu Al-Duhur military airport in Idlib province.
Several Syrian air force jets and helicopters have been shot down in Syria's civil war, which erupted after the government cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011. A US-led coalition is flying sorties in Syria to strike the self-proclaimed Islamic State group. Last month, a Jordanian air force pilot was captured by IS fighters after his plane was downed near the militant group's stronghold of Raqqa in northeastern Syria. — Reuters
