RT Journalists Injured in Shelling on Syria-Turkey Border Flying Back to Moscow

26 Nov, 2015 04:05
Rt.com

Two RT crew members and a TASS journalists who were injured when an anti-tank shell hit their press convoy near the Turkish-Syrian border, are being flown back to Moscow from Russian air base in Latakia.

The trio of Russian journalists sustained injuries when an anti-tank missile exploded near their vehicle earlier this week. After receiving initial medical treatment at the Russian air base in Latakia, journalists boarded a flight due to arrive in Moscow on Thursday morning.

The RT team consisting of correspondents Roman Kosarev and RT Arabic’s Sargon Hadaya took an almost direct hit from an anti-tank missile on Tuesday near the village of Al-Dagmashliya in the province of Latakia. The car transporting the journalists through the government-controlled territory was hit by a missile apparently coming from the Al Nusra-controlled town of Salma some 2.5 km away.

Kosarev suffered a concussion while his colleague from the Arabic had pieces of shrapnel lodge in his back and leg. TASS reporter Alexander Yelistratov also traveling in the car was injured by shrapnel in his hand. They were treated by Russian medics at the military base.

The crew, Kosarev says, survived only thanks to the body armor that they were wearing – and the Syrian army who promptly escorted them back to the base.

Syria condemned the attack as a “new crime committed by terror groups and the states which are sponsoring and equipping militants” in a “desperate attempt to keep the truth from the world.”

The UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq has also somewhat criticized the incident, saying that the United Nations remains “concerned” about the attacks on journalists in Syria.

“We want them to stop, as well as attacks on civilians as a whole,” Haq told TASS.