The headline below appeared on 15th September 2014 across the internet like a heat rash.

Below we see flag waving men climbing over an upturned MiG 21, with the caption “Islamic State fighters celebrate after taking down a Syrian fighter jet.“

….really.

The popular news blog New York Post ran the story with the picture. The same story headline was run by nydailynews.com who omitted the picture, dailynewsen also ran the story with the picture as did a myriad of linked media news outlets and blogs, which can be discovered by simply using the headline in an internet search engine.

However if you take a closer look you can notice the weathering and the lack of any obvious damage. Generally when a jet aeroplane is shot down it does n’t remain in such pristine condition.

It was by a chance searching near Raqqah that I found where that MiG actually was. A static display, the concrete pylons can still be seen.

The picture below shows the area and the google maps upload image. The road number 4 runs along the south side of the Euphrates River, the intersection can be easily found near Al Tabqah.

Below is another picture of the MiG. 

Below is a Sabre “plane on a stick” in Abu Kamal which was recently gaining the attention of the US Central Command.

And the bombing of the ISIL Storage Facility.

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