Syria rebels call for no-fly zone
Syrian rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad need the protection of no-fly zones and safe havens patrolled by foreign forces near the borders with Jordan and Turkey, a Syrian opposition leader told Reuters.
A group of Syrian rebels said they have captured the pilot of a warplane that the Free Syrian Army claimed to have shot down in the far east of the country.
The man, identified as pilot Colonel Mufid Mohammed Sleiman, was described as "a staunch enemy of the revolution" by the FSA spokesman, who said he had served with him for years before his own defection.
Syrian regime seized the upper hand in Aleppo as it advanced into a new rebel-held district.
Government forces also bombarded areas around Damascus and launched a wide sweep of the capital, including its once-bustling historic Old City, while shocking videos emerged showing alleged rebel atrocities in the Aleppo area.
State media said a military plane on a training mission crashed in the east of the country after suffering a malfunction and that the pilot had ejected.
But the Free Syria Army, which has been calling for the international community to arm it with anti-aircraft weapons as it battles escalating regime attacks from the sky, claimed it shot down the Russian-made MiG in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.
If confirmed, the attack would be the first time the rebels have succeeded in downing a Syrian plane since President Bashar al-Assad's regime launched an increasingly brutal crackdown on protests 17 months ago.
International concern is mounting over how to end a conflict that has triggered a major humanitarian crisis and sent around 140,000 Syrians fleeing to neighbouring countries, with scores of people being killed every day.
At least 87 lost their lives yesterday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The opposition has accused the regime of increasingly resorting to firing from fighter planes, particularly on the second city of Aleppo which has witnessed some of the fiercest fighting in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, grisly footage of apparent atrocities in the Aleppo area emerged, appearing to show rebels callously throwing bodies off a post office building, while another video showed a man, blindfolded and bound, as his throat was savagely cut.
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