Turkey brings back wounded aid worker from Yemen

By Mutlu Erdem and Aybuke Inal Kamaci

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey on Saturday airlifted a Turkish aid worker, who was wounded in an armed attack in Yemen.

Ali Can Budak, a member of the Turkish Red Crescent, was injured in an armed attack in the southern port city of Aden on Tuesday.

After the attack, Budak was taken to Al-Naqib Hospital in Aden, where he underwent a brain surgery.

The Turkish Health Ministry sent an air ambulance on early Saturday to bring Budak back to Turkey.

He was admitted to Ankara Training and Research Hospital, where he is being treated. His health condition is stable.

On Wednesday, Turkey strongly condemned the attack and called for bringing the perpetrators of the attack to justice.

The Turkish Red Crescent is the largest humanitarian organization in Turkey and has an extensive international network.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar