(Newser)
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Syrian rebels say they shot down a government fighter today and captured the pilot who ejected—a major feat after days of aerial attacks, the Guardian reports. Syria's state news agency reports the plane crashed due to mechanical failure, but a local activist claims rebels shot down the MiG with heavy machine gun fire. "The man who shot down the warplane is Muhamed Allawi," he says. "When I told him 'congratulations,' he replied 'congratulations to all of us.'"
In a propaganda knock for the rebels, newly released video depicts them tossing bodies from a building in Aleppo and repeatedly shooting a bound man, the Daily Mail reports. In one video, a crowd shouts, "This is a Shabiha"—a reference to pro-government forces—while the man's body plummets to the Earth. "If these videos are confirmed, such atrocities harm the revolution," says a human rights activist. "They only benefit the regime and the enemies of the revolution."
