Turkish F-16's shoot down Russian Jet
A Russian fighter was shot down near the Syrian border after reported warning to the Aircraft. This comes at a time when it looked like there was a united front trying to take out ISIS. This will no doubt be a set back, and was probably not a smart move by Turkey or the rebels that killed one of the pilots after the two ejected. Putin has already shown that Russia will not take their people (Military or Civilian) being killed, and has vowed already to hunt down daesh. Could this be the start of WW III or will someone be able to hold Putin back? From Fox News:Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Turkey’s decision to shoot down a Russian warplane near Turkey's border with Syria is a "stab in the back" and it would have “significant consequences” for its relations with Turkey, as NATO called an emergency meeting over the incident.Putin said the Russian Sukhoi-24 jet was shot by a missile from a Turkish jet over Syria about just over a half-mile away from the Turkish border, which he described as a "stab in the back by the terrorists' accomplices." Putin was meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Sochi. Prior to the meeting, The New York Times said Putin was "speaking slowly and clearly angry."Rebels said they fired at the two parachuting pilots as they descended, and that one had died. A rebel spokesman said they would consider releasing the body in exchange for prisoners held by Syria. The fate of the second pilot was not immediately known.U.S. defense official told Fox News that radar tracks validate Turkey’s claims that the aircraft entered its airspace and refused to leave, despite repeated warnings. The official added that two Turkish F-16s fired heat-seeking air-to-air missiles at the Russian aircraft.“This will get complicated,” the official said.
... Putin warned that the incident would have "significant consequences" for its relations with Turkey and criticized Ankara for turning to NATO to discuss the incident instead of first explaining to Russia what happened.Reuters also reported that Syrian insurgents hit a Russian helicopter forcing it to make an emergency landing in the country's Latakia province.https://youtu.be/HQofvV-6JH0See the full article from Fox News.To me this does not bode well for any parties involved, and will probably lead to retaliation from Russia at some point. It may not be immediate, but I would almost guarantee something will happen. Right now, one of the bigger questions, is how will President Putin react to the rebels who have killed one and captured the other Pilot, who they are now holding pending release of prisoners from Syria.[mwi-cat-listing cat="94" ppp="4" cols="4" desc="false" type="view" btn_color="black" ]