A screenshot from the video
On January 31, the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) claimed that its fighters had captured a man-portable air-defense system (MANPAD) from Kurdish YPG/YJP forces in the Syrian area of Afrin. The FSA released a video that shows the MANPAD allegedly captured from Kurdish forces.
The MANPAD shown in the video is a Russian-made Igla (SA-18 Grouse) missile. The similar missile was used by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to down a Turkish Cobra attack helicopter in May 2016.
Earlier in January, media reports appeared that the US provided some MANPADs to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) operating in northern Syria. Then, these reports were not confirmed by any evidence.
The YPG/YPJ is the core of the SDF. Ankara says that this group is a local branch of the PKK and describes it as a terrorist organization.
