US Lauds Syrian Pilot’s Defection
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The Pentagon on Thursday praised the bravery of a Syrian Air Force pilot, who defected to Jordan in a Russian-made fighter jet.
At a press briefing, spokesman George Little told reporters, “We have long called for members of the Syrian armed forces and members of the Syrian regime to defect and abandon their positions rather than be complicit in the regime’s atrocities.”
Little was unable to say if the U.S. would be allowed to interview the pilot, identified as Col.l Hassan Merhi al-Hamadah by the Syrian Ministry of Defense.
The pilot isn’t the first to desert the Syrian government and military, Little said, who predicted that others would follow suit as they reject the violent policies of President Bashar al-Assad.
Al-Hamadah won’t have to worry about retribution from his country as Jordan quickly announced that it was granting him asylum.
While the pilot’s motivation for defecting was not known, it’s believed he may have been responding to a report that the air force was getting ready to use fighter jets against Syrians.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio