The ‘Turkmen commander’ who told reporters that they shot both pilots dead after they jump off the downed Russian warplane yesterday has turned out to be a Turkish nationalist.
Yesterday, ‘a group of reporters’ were taken to the Latakia countryside to meet jihadis in the area after Turkey downed a Russian warplane on Syria border on the grounds of “violation of airspace”. The reporters were enabled access to the area in coordination with the governor’s office of Hatay province at the border.
Here, a so-called ‘Turkmen commander’ made a statement to the press, saying that “we shot both pilots dead as they parachuted down from the jet”.
Alpaslan Çelik, who was introduced as the deputy commander of 2nd Coastal Battalion of jihadist groups in the area, turned out to be a Turkish ultranationalist from the province of Elazığ.
Alpaslan Çelik is the son of Ramazan Çelik, former mayor of MHP-held Keban district municipality in Elazığ province.
