14 September 2017•Update: 15 September 2017
By Mohamed al-Samei
SANAA, Yemen
A Saudi pilot has been killed in a crash in Yemen, the official Saudi news agency said Thursday.
Lt. Col. Muhanna bin Saad Al-Baiz died while conducting “operational tasks to support the war against al-Qaeda terrorist organization” on Wednesday, the Saudi Press Agency reported, citing Col. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition.
The report said his aircraft suffered a technical failure over southwest Yemen.
According to a Yemeni security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, a Saudi plane crashed in Lawdar district, Abyan province.
The conflict in Yemen has raged since 2014, when Houthi militias and their allies overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
A coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched a massive air campaign a year later aimed at reversing Houthi gains and returning President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to power.
The war has killed at least 10,000 people, destroyed Yemen’s economy, caused a cholera epidemic and forced millions from their homes amid a looming famine.
