Jihadi rebels executed a Syrian pilot they had captured earlier this day after downing his Su-22 in the Eastern Qalamoun region.

The Saudi-backed Jaish al-Islam claimed to have shot down a Syrian fighter jet this morning, and released a footage showing the wreckage of the downed aircraft followed by a short interview with the captured pilot who managed to eject himself before the crash.

Jaish al-Islam’s official spokesman issued a statement accusing Jabhet al-Nusra, the Syrian al-Qaeda branch, of executing the captured pilot, demanding the Joint Operation Room of Jabhet al-Nusra and Ahar al-Sham to explain the circumstances of the execution.

According to the statement, al-Nusra promised to hand over the captured pilot to Jaish al-Islam after interrogating him.

“We were surprised to learn that one of Nusra militants has executed the captured pilot whose fighter jet was downed this morning by us. Our media team has interviewed the pilot at the Joint Operation HQ if Jabhet al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham.

Accordingly, we request an explanation for the execution and call on both al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham to hand over the body of the dead pilot to us”, the statement read.

Meanwhile, Jabhet al-Nusra released a statement denying Jaish al-Islam’s narrative about the whole incident.

The statement confirmed that the aircraft was downed due to a technical failure. Before the crash, the pilot ejected himself and landed in an area controlled by Jabhet al-Nusra, who detained and interrogated him.

“They [Jaish al-Islam] stole the footage and then sent dozens of militants to kidnap the pilot, who was killed by a stray bullet during firefights”.