2 UAE pilots killed in Yemen crash

By Handan Kazanci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Two pilots of the U.A.E. have been killed when their plane crashed in Yemen, the gulf state’s official news agency WAM announced on its official Twitter page.

The online post also gave the names of the two pilots.

“#UAE Armed Forces announce the martyrdom of 2 Air Force pilots #Ali_AlMesmari & #Badr_AlMarashdeh while carrying out their mission in Yemen,” WAM tweeted in English.

The type of aircraft used by the pilot remains unclear.

The Abu Dhabi-based The National daily quoted the UAE armed forces as saying that the two pilots were killed as a result of an “accident, which was caused by a technical fault”.

Yemen has remained locked in a civil war since 2014, when the Shia Houthi militia group overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa, forcing Yemen’s Saudi-backed government to set up an interim capital in the coastal city of Aden.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies began a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi military gains in Yemen.

According to UN figures, more than 10,000 people -- including numerous civilians -- have been killed as a direct result of the conflict.