Russia Awards Syrian Special Forces for Saving Su-24 Co-Pilot
14:27 29.11.2015(updated 17:33 29.11.2015)
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151129/1030944510/syrian-special-forces-russia-award-su-24.html

The Russian Defense Ministry has awarded the members of the Syrian Special
Forces, who helped to rescue a Russian co-pilot of the Su-24 bomber which
was shot down by the Turkish Air Force in Syria.

Syrian soldiers received medals for "Strengthening Comradeship-in-Arms," an
award given to foreign citizens for military cooperation and assistance with
the Russian Army, according to photos published by Syrian journalist Hassan
Ridha.

​On Tuesday, a Russian Su-24 jet was downed in Syria. Russian President
Vladimir Putin said that the plane was downed by an air-to-air missile
launched by a Turkish F-16 jet over Syrian territory, and crashed some 4
kilometers (2.5 miles) away from the Turkish border.

One of the pilots from the downed bomber was killed by fire from the ground
after ejection. Meanwhile the other pilot, Captain Konstantin Murahtin,
managed to land on hostile territory and had to survive around 10 hours
while being hunted down by the Turkmen militia.

A search-and-rescue operation was launched, made out of 18 Syrian Special
Forces and six Hezbollah fighters with firsthand knowledge of the local
terrain. They were tasked with saving the pilot, while Russian forces
provided air and intelligence support.

As soon as they reached the front line, Russian aircraft launched airstrikes
against rebels forcing them to flee. The team could then advance further
into enemy territory.

The operation ended successfully and Murahtin was saved. All 24 fighters,
who took part in the operation, safely reached the base.