From our news desk:
Russia's ambassador to France has said a Russian pilot missing in Syria after his plane was shot down by a Turkish jet on November 24 has been recovered and sent to a Russian military base in Syria.
Ambassador Aleksandr Orlov told Europe 1 radio on November 25 that the pilot managed to evade capture by rebels fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and was "picked up by the Syrian Army."
Orlov did not comment on the pilot's identity or health.
One Russian pilot was killed on November 24 after a Russian Su-24 warplane was shot down by a Turkish Air Force jet along the border with Syria. Ankara maintains the Russian jet violated Turkish airspace and ignored 10 warnings.
Moscow says the jet was in Syrian airspace and has accused Turkey of protecting terrorists by shooting down the jet.
The Su-24 was part of an ongoing Russian air campaign that Moscow says is targeting Islamic State militants. The United States and other countries say Moscow's air strikes are mostly targeting anti-Assad rebels and are aimed at propping up his government.
That concludes our live-blogging of Islamic State for Tuesday, November 24. Check back here tomorrow morning for more of our continuing coverage.
Turkey's Erdogan Defends Right To Protect Borders
President Tayyip Erdogan has defended Turkey's right to protect its borders after the Turkish military shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border.
Turkey says it shot down the Russian Su-24 jet on November 24 because it violated Turkish airspace, but Moscow claims the plane never strayed from Syrian territory.
"Despite being warned 10 times in five minutes because it was coming toward our border, it insisted on continuing its violation,” Erdogan said on November 24 at the presidential palace in Ankara.
"The reason why worse incidents have not taken place in the past regarding Syria is the cool-headedness of Turkey,” he added. “Nobody should doubt that we made our best efforts to avoid this latest incident.”
The incident was at least the third time that Russian jets have allegedly entered Turkish airspace in recent months.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
NATO Chief Calls For Calm, Dialogue After Downing Of Russian Jet
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has called for calm after the Turkish air force shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border.
"I look forward to further contacts between Ankara and Moscow and call for calm and de-escalation," Stoltenberg said on November 21 after an extraordinary meeting of NATO ambassadors in Brussels.
He also said the assessments provided by other NATO members were consistent with Turkish claims that the Russian fighter jet had violated Turkey's airspace.
"We stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally," he added.
Diplomats who attended the NATO meeting were quoted as saying that while none of the 28 NATO envoys defended Russia's actions, many expressed concern that Turkey did not escort the Russian plane out of its airspace.
Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Reuters
U.S., France Obama Urge For Calm After Downing Of Russian Jet
The U.S. and French presidents have warned against any escalation over Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane on the Turkish-Syrian border.
"Turkey, like every country, has the right to defend its territory and its airspace," Barack Obama said on November 24 at a joint news conference with Francois Hollande at the White House.
"It's very important right now for us to make sure that both the Russians and the Turks are talking to each other to find out exactly what happened and take measures to discourage any kind of escalation," Obama added.
"We must prevent an escalation,” Hollande said. “That would be extremely damaging."
Turkey says it shot down the Russian Su-24 jet on November 24 because it had violated Turkish airspace, but Moscow claims the plane never strayed from Syrian territory.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
Obama: U.S., France 'United' Against Terror
U.S. President Barack Obama has said the United States and France "stand united" against terrorism, adding that the Islamic State (IS) extremist group and its ideology "pose a serious threat to all of us."
Speaking on November 24 at a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande in Washington, Obama also urged the EU to implement an agreement that would share airline passenger information.
Hollande said it was urgent to close the Turkey-Syria border and to prevent terrorists from traveling to Europe.
He added that he and Obama agreed to step up air strikes against IS targets in Syria and Iraq.
The Washington meeting comes after coordinated attacks in Paris on November 13 killed 130 people.
IS militants claimed responsibility for the assaults, which prompted the United States to issue a worldwide travel alert to its citizens.
Hollande has vowed to forge a united coalition capable of defeating IS militants at home and abroad.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is addressing the press following an emergency meeting in the wake of this morning's downing by Turkey of a Russian Su-24 jet in Syria.
Live streaming of the press conference is here.
Here are the main points from Stoltenberg's statement:
-- NATO just held an extraordinary meeting and were updated on the events by Turkey
-- Turkey informed allies about the downing of the aircraft
-- He said he had previously expressed concerns about Russian military actions near Turkey borders
-- "As I have repeatedly made clear we stand in solidarity with our NATO ally Turkey"
-- Will continue to follow developments very closely
-- "I call for calm and descalation, diplomacy and deescalation are important to solve this situation"
In response to a question about Russia's claims that the jet was shot down over Syria, and didn't violate Turkish airspace.
-- "Allied assessments we have got from several allies are consistent from information we have got from Turkey."
Stoltenberg said he welcomed more contacts between Moscow and Ankara.
-- "The common enemy should be IS"
-- "Most of attacks by Russia are targeting parts of Syria where IS is not present."
-- "There have been contacts between Ankara and Russia but so far not contact between NATO and Russia."
In answer to a question about how the plane was downed:
-- "I would be careful going too much into specifics but the assessments we got from allies are consistent with what Turkey briefed us about earlier today."