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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Syria: Helicopter crashes in Damascus | Syria: Helicopter crashes in Damascus |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Armed rebels in Syria say they have shot down a military helicopter over the capital, Damascus. | Armed rebels in Syria say they have shot down a military helicopter over the capital, Damascus. |
| The Free Syrian Army said the aircraft had been firing at people in the north-eastern district of Jobar, and that it had crashed in neighbouring Qabun. | The Free Syrian Army said the aircraft had been firing at people in the north-eastern district of Jobar, and that it had crashed in neighbouring Qabun. |
| State television confirmed that a helicopter had come down in Qabun. | State television confirmed that a helicopter had come down in Qabun. |
| On Sunday, opposition activists said government forces had massacred more than 300 people during their assault on the south-western suburb of Darayya. | On Sunday, opposition activists said government forces had massacred more than 300 people during their assault on the south-western suburb of Darayya. |
| Video footage and photographs have emerged, showing scores of bodies, including those of women and children. | Video footage and photographs have emerged, showing scores of bodies, including those of women and children. |
| State media blamed the opposition for the killings and said Darayya had been "cleansed of terrorist remnants". | |
| The chairman of the UN Human Rights Council's Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, Paulo Pinheiro, told the BBC the killings might constitute a war crime. | The chairman of the UN Human Rights Council's Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, Paulo Pinheiro, told the BBC the killings might constitute a war crime. |
| Military offensive | Military offensive |
| According to opposition activists, the military helicopter was shot down as it was bombarding Jobar, as heavy fighting broke out between rebels and government forces. | According to opposition activists, the military helicopter was shot down as it was bombarding Jobar, as heavy fighting broke out between rebels and government forces. |
| Witnesses told Reuters news agency the helicopter burst into flames after being hit by a projectile during an exchange of fire. | Witnesses told Reuters news agency the helicopter burst into flames after being hit by a projectile during an exchange of fire. |
| Activists posted video footage online which appears to show a burning helicopter crashing to the ground. Rebels can be heard shouting: "God is greatest." | Activists posted video footage online which appears to show a burning helicopter crashing to the ground. Rebels can be heard shouting: "God is greatest." |
| State TV confirmed that a helicopter had crashed near the al-Ghufran mosque in Qabun, though it did not say if it had been shot down. | State TV confirmed that a helicopter had crashed near the al-Ghufran mosque in Qabun, though it did not say if it had been shot down. |
| The helicopter appears to have been taking part in an increasingly fierce attempt by government forces to regain control of the capital's suburbs. | The helicopter appears to have been taking part in an increasingly fierce attempt by government forces to regain control of the capital's suburbs. |
| The FSA also claimed to have shot down a Mig-23 fighter jet on 13 August in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour. | |
| President Bashar al-Assad has called the uprising a "foreign plot against the whole region", and vowed to defeat the conspiracy at "any price". | President Bashar al-Assad has called the uprising a "foreign plot against the whole region", and vowed to defeat the conspiracy at "any price". |