Originally appeared at RT
RT Spanish correspondent Boris Kuznetsov, RT Arabic correspondent Hassan Nasr, RT cameraman Khaled Eldera and Ruptly cameraman Aleksandr Tikhomirov have come under fire in Syria close to the Turkish border while filming footage for a story.
The incident happened in the border village Kinsabba, Latakia province. Initial reports said the fire came from Turkish territory, but were later corrected.
A total of eight shells were fired by forces, which the Syrian military believe were members of Al-Nusra Front terrorist group. The shells landed some 150 to 400 meters from the journalists.
Several journalists from Bulgaria, Canada and China – on a tour to see civilians returning to their homes after a truce came into force in the area – sustained minor injuries, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“In the morning, accompanied by Russian and Syrian servicemen, we were returning to Latakia from areas recently freed of militants. We saw the real extent of the damage in the villages in that area. A lot of the houses are comletely leveled,” Hassan Nasr said on the phone.
“We then headed to the village of Kinsabba. It is three kilometers away from the Turkish border. We arrived in the village together with some of its residents who were returning to their houses. At that moment, the village came under intense artillary fire… Syrian and Russian servicemen took all the necessary measures to get all the media people to safety. It is safe to say none of the journalists are hurt.”
“Between that territory and the Turkish border there is a two or three kilometer space, and as the Syrian servicemen told us, that is where the Turkish authorities are hiding Islamic State and Jebhat Al-Nusra [Al-Nusra Front] fighters,” Kuznetsov said.
“We spoke to local residents, they spoke about their hopes for peace, and it all changed in the blink of an eye, we heard what could be artillery fire, or maybe they were grenades. Everybody fell to the floor.”
It was quite “an adrenaline rush,” he said.
