The pilot of an Assad's Russian-made MiG 21 fighter jet, Colonel Hassan Mari Hamada, who flew his plane to Jordan, while he was on a training mission near the border, has asked for political asylum on landing. He is being debriefed at the moment.
This Syrian air force Russian-made Mig warplane landed at one of the military bases in the northeast of the country in the governorate of Al Mafraq which is close to the border with Syria. It is still unknown is if there are other defectors or other passengers with him on the plane.
It is a fairly advanced warplane and now it is a liability for the Jordanian authorities.
It was as yet unclear what would be done about the pilot and plane.
Once the Syrian defectors enter the borders, there are extensive background checks run on them. And Jordanian authorities have decided to keep them in a secluded military base. They do not want them to interact with the other refugees because this poses a threat for Jordan which has dramatically beefed up its border security.
Thursday's was the first defection involving an aircraft since the start of a 15-month-old uprising against the bloody Putin's puppet Assad.
Source: Agencies
Kavkaz Center
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