Damascus, July 3 (IANS): Al Qaeda-backed Al Nusra Front has handed over the remains of a slain Syrian pilot they had killed to the Syrian authorities, officials said on Sunday.
The body of Lt. Col. Nawras al-Hasan, who was executed by the group when he parachuted from his crashing warplane over a rebel-held area in Damascus last week, was delivered to the Syrian authorities, Xinhua news agency reported.
Al-Hasan was executed in Jairud town in the eastern countryside of Damascus.
Al-Hasan was on a training mission when his plane malfunctioned and crashed after he ejected from the aircraft, local media reported. However, the group claimed they downed the plane.
On Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian air force carried out intense airstrikes and shelling on Jairud, killing 43 people, and injuring tens of others, some of whom were in critical condition.