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UAE reports plane missing in Yemen Two UAE pilots killed as fighter jet crashes in Yemen
(about 4 hours later)
An Emirati fighter jet taking part in a combat mission against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen has gone missing, the United Arab Emirates has said. Two Emirati pilots have been killed after their fighter jet crashed in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling rebels backed by Iran.
“The supreme command of the armed forces announced today that a fighter jet taking part in the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia … in Yemen was missing,” said a statement on the official WAM news agency. The Mirage aircraft crashed at dawn “due to a technical fault”, said a coalition statement published hours after the United Arab Emirates reported one of its jets missing without giving details.
It is the first known case of an Emirati jet from the coalition going missing since the Saudi-led campaign began in March last year. It is the first known case of an Emirati jet from the coalition crashing since the campaign against the rebels began last March.
Coalition warplanes launched airstrikes on Yemen’s second city, Aden, for the first time last week. Coalition warplanes turned their attention towards Yemen’s second city, Aden – home to a growing jihadi presence – for the first time last week.
Security officials and witnesses said a jet had crashed into a nearby mountain on Monday as coalition warplanes operated in the vicinity after clashes erupted between Yemeni forces and jihadis. Related: Wars are being fought as in 'barbarian times', warns MSF chief
Al-Qaida and Islamic State have taken advantage of the conflict between Iran-backed insurgents and pro-government forces to reinforce their presence in the south, including in Aden. Security officials and witnesses in Aden told AFP that a jet had crashed into a nearby mountain on Monday as aircraft operated in the vicinity, after clashes erupted between Yemeni forces and jihadis.
Apache helicopters took part in the fighting on Monday, security officials said. “We saw Apache helicopters fire rockets and open machine gunfire at al-Qaida militants” in Aden’s Mansura district, a witness said. Islamic State and al-Qaida have taken advantage of the conflict between insurgents and pro-government forces to reinforce their presence in the south, including in Aden.
Security sources estimate that about 300 heavily armed al-Qaida fighters are entrenched in Mansura. A government official told AFP that a coalition jet had carried out an air raid against the home of a local Isis commander at dawn, killing the target’s 18-year-old son, near the plane crash site.
The UAE did not immediately give details on the missing plane. Apache helicopters were also taking part in the fighting on Monday, security officials said.
In December, a Bahraini F-16 crashed in Saudi Arabia due to a “technical error”.The pilot was saved and the plane’s wreckage was found. It was the second coalition jet to crash after a Moroccan warplane went down during a mission over Yemen in May. Its pilot was later found dead and his body was returned home. “We saw Apache helicopters fire rockets and open machine gun fire at al-Qaida militants” in the al-Mansoura district of Aden, one witness said.
The coalition said at the time the crash had been caused by a technical fault or human error. It denied rebel claims that they downed the plane. Security sources estimate that about 300 heavily armed al-Qaida fighters are entrenched in al-Mansoura.
The UAE jet is the third coalition warplane to go down since last March. In December a Bahraini F-16 crashed in Saudi Arabia due to a “technical error”. The pilot was saved and the plane’s wreckage was found.
In May a Moroccan jet crashed in Yemen. Its pilot was later found dead and his body was returned home. The coalition said at the time that the crash had been caused by a technical fault or human error, and denied rebel claims that they had downed the plane.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which play key roles in the coalition, have suffered the alliance’s heaviest losses in Yemen, with dozens of soldiers killed.Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which play key roles in the coalition, have suffered the alliance’s heaviest losses in Yemen, with dozens of soldiers killed.
In Yemen, more than 6,100 people have died – half of them civilians – since the coalition launched its campaign, according to the UN. In Yemen itself, more than 6,100 people have died, half of them civilians, since the coalition launched its campaign, according to the United Nations.