Jahed Ahmad, of the 10th Brigade in the Coast, said the crew members tried to land with their parachutes in Syrian government-held areas after they ejected, but came under fire from members of his group.
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Turkish authorities gunned down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 Tuesday, blaming it for violating Turkish airspace.
The surviving pilot is at an air base in Latakia province after being rescued by a Syrian army commando unit, officials said.
President Vladimir Putin also confirmed that the second pilot was rescued and “he and the other participants… including in the rescue operation will be awarded state honours”.
A USA defence official in Washington said the Russian plane flew across a two-mile section of Turkish air space before it was shot down, meaning it was in Turkish skies for a matter of seconds.
“I do think that this points to an ongoing problem with the Russian operations in the sense that they are operating very close to a Turkish border and they are going after moderate opposition that are supported not only by Turkey but a wide range of countries”, Mr. Obama said. One was killed, apparently from gunfire from Syrian rebels on the ground.
On the other hand, Russian Federation said that the plane stayed over Syria where it was supporting ground action against rebels.
The Russian Foreign Ministry already has warned Russians against travelling to Turkey, and some leading Russian tourist agencies suspended the sales of tour packages to Turkey.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday “dangerous escalation” in relations between Russia and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation can not be excused, even in the case of border protection.
Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border on Tuesday, causing global powers to plead for calm as tensions soared between the two rival players in the Syria war.
The incident comes as Russian and Syrian jets wage a heavy bombing campaign against targets in northern Syria while the US-led coalition continues its own air strikes. “We are just defending our security and the rights of our brothers”, Erdogan said in a televised speech on Wednesday.
The pair also urged Turkey not to let the situation escalate. “We are determined to take all necessary measures to prevent a new wave of immigration”.
The incident was one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member country and Russian Federation for half a century.
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Both the White House and Erdogan’s office said that Obama expressed US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation support for Turkey’s right to defend its “sovereignty”.
