Syria air strikes
Residents inspect a site hit by what residents said were air strikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Darat Izza in Aleppo province, on 13 October 2015 Ammar Abdullah/Reuters

Islamist rebels affiliated with al-Qaeda have shot down a Syrian army jet in the country's northern province of Aleppo. Syrian state television has verified the crash with images shared on social media, apparently showing a Syrian Airforce pilot with the rebels.

The UK-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights has confirmed a plume of smoke was seen as the plane caught fire before it fell in the Talat al-Iss highland, with other reports confirming the jet was downed near the northern village of al-Ais.

Syrian state television has said the jet was brought down by a surface-to-air missile, adding that the pilot was able to eject from the jet, described on social media as an SU-22.

One video shared on social media appeared to show the Syrian pilot surrounded by rebels. A later picture may have shown the pilot had been killed or was unconscious.

The US and Russia agreed to push for a broad ceasefire in Syria in February to allow humanitarian aid to be dispersed in the areas worst-hit by the fighting.

The truce does not apply to combat operations against jihadist groups such as Islamic State (Isis) and the al-Nusra Front.

More than 250,000 people have been killed in Syria since fighting broke out between government forces and opponents of President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.

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