2 UAE pilots killed in plane crash over Yemen

Dubai Oct 18 (IANS) The UAE Armed Forces has announced the death of two pilots after their aircraft crashed during an operation in Yemen a media report said.

Commander-in-Chief Ali Saeed Saif Al-Massmari and First Pilot Bader Yahya Mohammed Al-Marashdeh were killed in the crash a result of "a technical malfunction in the operations of the coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia" said a statement issued on Tuesday by the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) Xinhua reported.

The General Command of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces extended its condolences to the families of the killed air servicemen.

Since March 2015 a Saudi-led military coalition has been fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The UAE is one of the nine Arab states to support Yemen s internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

--IANS
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