ISIS fighters are being trained to fly three captured fighter jets at an air base in Syria, observers claimed yesterday. The reported flights are believed to be the first time the militant group has taken to the air and raises the possibility of attacks on British, US and French targets in neighbouring Iraq. Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the militants were flying the planes on ‘short flight’ training at the al-Jarrah military airport east of the city of Aleppo, where the group has a major base. Fighter: It is not clear if ISIS' jets are equipped with weaponry nor if the pilots are able to fly long distances, but witnesses said the planes appear to have been seized from the Syrian Air Force (pictured)
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Witnesses say ISIS are carrying out test flights at an airport near Aleppo
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Understood to have captured three Soviet-made jets from Syrian Air Force
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They are using former Iraqi Air Force officers to train prospective pilots
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News comes as Al Qaeda looks to mend relations with the Islamic State
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Statement emerged today calling for jihadists to set aside their differences
The base was reportedly one of the @placeholder military’s largest facilities in the region, with several warplane squadrons, helicopters, tanks, artillery and ammunition.