Syrian jet pilot defects to Jordan

A Syrian fighter jet has made an emergency landing at a northern Jordanian airbase, a Jordanian government official said today.

A Syrian fighter jet has defected to Jordan and its pilot is seeking political asylum in the kingdom.

The defection was confirmed by Jordanian information minister Sameeh Maaytah.

Initially, Jordanian officials said the plane made an emergency landing at a northern Jordanian airbase. They said the Russian-made MiG-21 landed at the King Hussein Air Base in Mafraq, a northern Jordanian town bordering Syria.

Earlier a spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army, said the group had encouraged the pilot to defect.

Syria’s state-run TV reported earlier that authorities had lost contact with a MiG-21 that was on a training mission in the country. The report gave no further details.

Since an uprising against President Bashar Assad’s regime began in March last year, Syrian troops have refrained from using military warplanes against rebels.

The defection could have serious repercussions on relations between the two neighbours, who so far have maintained their business ties despite political tensions.

Jordan has taken in 125,000 Syrian refugees, including hundreds of army and police defectors, and Syria has desperately sought their extradition.

Syria is one of Jordan’s largest Arab trade partners.

Also, 60 % of Jordanian exports of mainly fruits and vegetables are routed through Syria for onward shipping to Turkey overland or to Europe via Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

A Free Syrian Army spokesman named the pilot as Col Hassan Merei Hammadeh.

A Jordanian security official also confirmed the name and the rank of the Syrian pilot. He said he took off his air force tag and kneeled on the ground in prayer at the air base after he landed his aircraft.