Syrian pilot defects to Jordan with fighter jet
Source: Agencies |
June 22, 2012, Friday
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A SYRIAN fighter pilot on a training mission flew his MiG-21 warplane to Jordan yesterday and asked for political asylum, the first defection of an air force pilot with his plane during the 15-month uprising against President Bashar Assad.
The air force is considered fiercely loyal to Assad's government and the defection suggests some of Syria's most ironclad allegiances are fraying. It was a triumph for the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad. A spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army, Ahmad Kassem, said the group had encouraged the pilot to defect and monitored his activity until the jet landed safely in Jordan.
The pilot, identified as Colonel Hassan Hammadeh, removed his air force tag and kneeled on the tarmac in prayer after landing his plane at King Hussein Air Base in Mafraq, Jordan, 70 kilometers north of Amman, a Jordanian security official said.
He said Jordanian official were questioning the defector, but he will be allowed to stay in the country on "humanitarian grounds."
"He was given asylum because if he returned home, his safety will not be guaranteed. He may tortured or killed," the official said. He declined to say what Jordan will do with the jet. The official insisted on anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter.
Syria's state-run TV reported earlier yesterday that authorities had lost contact with a MiG-21 that was on a training mission in the country. The report gave no further details.
Jordanian Information Minister Sameeh Maaytah confirmed that the pilot had defected.
The defection is a sensitive issue for Jordan, which wants to avoid getting dragged into the Syrian conflict. Jordan already has taken in 125,000 Syrian refugees, including hundreds of army and police defectors, and Syria is seeking their return.
Syria is one of Jordan's largest Arab trade partners, with bilateral trade estimated at US$470 million last year.
The Syrian government has been hit with defections before, although none as dramatic as the fighter pilot's. Most of the defectors have been low-level conscripts in the army.
The air force is considered fiercely loyal to Assad's government and the defection suggests some of Syria's most ironclad allegiances are fraying. It was a triumph for the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad. A spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army, Ahmad Kassem, said the group had encouraged the pilot to defect and monitored his activity until the jet landed safely in Jordan.
The pilot, identified as Colonel Hassan Hammadeh, removed his air force tag and kneeled on the tarmac in prayer after landing his plane at King Hussein Air Base in Mafraq, Jordan, 70 kilometers north of Amman, a Jordanian security official said.
He said Jordanian official were questioning the defector, but he will be allowed to stay in the country on "humanitarian grounds."
"He was given asylum because if he returned home, his safety will not be guaranteed. He may tortured or killed," the official said. He declined to say what Jordan will do with the jet. The official insisted on anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter.
Syria's state-run TV reported earlier yesterday that authorities had lost contact with a MiG-21 that was on a training mission in the country. The report gave no further details.
Jordanian Information Minister Sameeh Maaytah confirmed that the pilot had defected.
The defection is a sensitive issue for Jordan, which wants to avoid getting dragged into the Syrian conflict. Jordan already has taken in 125,000 Syrian refugees, including hundreds of army and police defectors, and Syria is seeking their return.
Syria is one of Jordan's largest Arab trade partners, with bilateral trade estimated at US$470 million last year.
The Syrian government has been hit with defections before, although none as dramatic as the fighter pilot's. Most of the defectors have been low-level conscripts in the army.
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