ISIS claims its forces in Syria downed US A-10 ‘Warthog’ fighter

The Islamic State organization claimed Thursday afternoon that its forces had shot down an American A-10 fighter in the area of the city of Hasakah in northeastern Syria, but did not show wreckage or any other evidence to back up its claim. The Rmeilan air base, now being operated by the US military, is in a Kurdish-controlled area not far from Hasakah. The A-10, nicknamed the "Warthog", is a one-seat, two-engine fighter used for short-range, low altitude ground attacks that was introduced in the 1970s. It can serve as a flying control tower by helping coordinate heavy military air traffic in combat zones.