Syrian rebels 'BLEW UP' Russian rescue helicopter searching for jet pilots

SHOCKING video footage has emerged apparently showing the moment Syrian rebels BLEW UP a Russian rescue helicopter searching for the pilots of a warplane downed by Turkey. 

Express co uk 

By Leda Reynolds and Nick Gutteridge

PUBLISHED: 11:42, Tue, Nov 24, 2015 | UPDATED: 16:12, Tue, Nov 24, 2015

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Footage appears to show Syrian rebels blowing up a Russian helicopter

In the disturbing film released by the Syrian Free Army rebel group a missile can be seen travelling towards the stricken chopper, which has landed in a mountainous area, before it explodes in a huge fireball.
Moments earlier a single soldier is seen assembling an American made TOW portable anti-tank missile launcher on a hillside before taking aim at the helicopter.
A narrator triumphantly gloats over the top of the video exclaiming "Allahu Akbar" - meaning "God is great" - as the missile hits and mangled wreckage from the craft is blasted into the air.
Earlier the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said that the search and rescue helicopter had been forced to make an emergency landing after being shot at with a missile by Syrian rebels.
It was not immediately clear whether or not any Russian military personnel were in the helicopter at the time of the explosion. The shocking footage was posted on Twitter by an expert analyst in the Middle East but has not been independently verified.