A Syrian air force pilot who bailed out as his warplane crashed on Turkish territory said his MiG-23 had been shot down, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The 56-year-old pilot was identified as Mehmet Sufhan, and medical staff said he was not in critical condition despite some fractures in his spine. He is being treated at a hospital in the Hatay region, a hospital spokeswoman said on Sunday.
In an initial statement to Turkish authorities, Sufhan said his aircraft was shot down on its way to strike rural areas near Idlib in northern Syria. He said he had taken off from Latakia in Syria.
Dogan news agency said the pilot had been found around 40 km from the wreckage.
Syrian state television quoted an army source saying the air force had lost contact with a fighter jet on a mission near the Turkish border.
