Syrian rebels celebrate after shooting down military jet

2013-09-02 184

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

Free Syrian Army fighters shot down a Syrian air force jet in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Monday (September 2), activist video purports to show.

The footage, which cannot be independently verified by Reuters, obtained from a social media website, shows rebels and children celebrating and showing off the wreckage from the plane.

Another online video shows parts of the wreckage claimed to be from a MiG jet. The parts have Russian writing inscribed on them.

Syria's civil war, now in its third year, has killed more than 100,000 people and has driven millions from their homes.

The United States and some of its allies are now contemplating their first military intervention, to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for what Washington says was a chemical weapons attack on Damascus suburbs that killed more than 1,400 civilians on August 21.

Syria denies blame for that incident.