Syrian pilot defects to Jordan

[June 21, 2012]  AMMAN, Jordan (AP) -- Jordan's information minister says a Syrian fighter jet defected to Jordan and its pilot sought political asylum in the kingdom.

The minister Sameeh Maaytah said confirmed the defection on Thursday.

Initially, Jordanian officials said the plane made an emergency landing at a northern Jordanian airbase. They said the Russian-made MiG-21 landed at the King Hussein Air Base in Mafraq, a northern Jordanian town bordering Syria.

[Associated Press; By JAMAL HALABY]

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