Syrian warplane crashes in ISlamic State held town near Damascus

A Syrian warplane crashed on Friday over a town controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group southeast of the capital Damascus, a monitor group reported.

The war jet crashed over Tal Dakweh near the town of Beir al-Qassab southeast of Damascus, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group stopped short of giving further details, saying it wasn't clear whether the aircraft was downed by IS or multifunction.

The status of the crew was unknown at the moment.

The IS and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front have downed two Syrian warplanes over the past two weeks, as part of the intensified violence across the country.

Separately on Friday, at least 19 people were killed by air strikes against several rebel-held districts in the northern city of Aleppo, said the Observatory. It added that tens are in critical conditions.

Source: XINHUA