On July 8, 2016, the Islamic State's (ISIS) Homs province published an official communiqué announcing that organization members managed to down a Russian attack helicopter east of Tadmur (Palmyra) and kill its crewmembers. According to the communiqué, the incident occurred at a time that ISIS fighters were conducting an attack in the region and took over three Syrian army checkpoints. It should be mentioned that on July 9, the website of the Russian RT (Russia Today) television network published a Russian Defense Ministry announcement confirming that a Russian MI-25 helicopter was downed in the Tadmur region and its two pilots were killed. The announcement disclosed that the helicopter pilots were summoned to provide air support to Syrian Army forces blocking the attack of terrorists (ISIS) in the region, and the helicopter was downed after it began withdrawing from the region, having exhausted its ammunition. The RT report also divulged that Russian Defense Ministry sources claim that the helicopter was downed by an American-made TOW missile. [1]
The ISIS Homs district communiqué which was distributed on the Telegram Al-Khilafa channel [2] and elsewhere wrote as follows: "Thanks to Allah alone, the caliphate soldiers mounted an attack with heavy weaponry on the Nusairi regime positions (Syrian Army) East of the Palmyra monasteries. The mujahideen managed to take control of three checkpoints of the apostates after which one of the martyrs [suicide bombers] advanced in a BMP armored car bomb and detonated himself amongst the concentration of Army soldiers and Shiite militia auxiliaries. He managed to cause them dozens of dead and wounded. At the same time caliphate soldiers shot down a Russian attack helicopter when it attempted to attack their positions and caused the death of its crewmembers, Allah be praised and thanked."
ISIS likewise released a video via its news agency A'maq documenting the incident. The video shows an Mi24 'Hind' attack chopper at low altitude shooting several rockets before being hit by a missile on the tail rotor. The helicopter enters an incontrollable spin and crashes in a fire ball. A second helicopter is seen flying next to the one that crashed. [3]
Endnotes:
