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UnrepentantLiberal

(11,700 posts)
Tue Nov 27, 2012, 10:16 PM Nov 2012

Syrian rebels 'shoot down army helicopter'

Source: Al Jazeera

Syrian rebels have said they downed an army helicopter with a ground-to-air missile for the first time as it was bombarding a besieged base in the country's northwest.

The downing came at the strategic Sheikh Suleiman base, 25km west of Aleppo, the last garrison in government hands between Syria's second city and the Turkish border.

It is reportedly the first time that the rebels have shot down a helicopter with a surface-to-air missile.

Footage posted by activists on YouTube showed rebel fighters shouting: "We hit it, God is greatest," as a helicopter plunged to the ground in a ball of flames.

Read more: http://aje.me/YnH92v

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Syrian rebels 'shoot down army helicopter' (Original Post) UnrepentantLiberal Nov 2012 OP
Knocking out Syria's air forces is actually a huge blow ButterflyBlood Nov 2012 #1
Kick (nt) muriel_volestrangler Nov 2012 #2

ButterflyBlood

(12,644 posts)
1. Knocking out Syria's air forces is actually a huge blow
Tue Nov 27, 2012, 11:46 PM
Nov 2012

They have a finite number of helicopters and planes, and Russia isn't going to resupply them now. In addition the rebels' hit and run tactics against air bases might not seem effective, but it also means destroying maintenance supplies, which Russia probably isn't going to give them any more of now either. Meaning that eventually they won't be able to get the helicopters and planes in the air.

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