Coalition SOF

Saudi Blackhawk Helicopter Crashes in Yemen Killing 12 Soldiers

A Saudi Arabian Blackhawk helicopter crashed during military operations in Yemen on Tuesday killing 12 personnel on board. Saudi sources are stating that the cause of the crash was friendly fire.

The four officers and eight non-commissioned officers were killed while on a mission to try to force out the dominant Houthi group and restore President Abd-Rabu Mansour Hadi to power.

It was the largest loss of life involving Saudi forces since a Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen’s war in 2015.

You've reached your daily free article limit.

Subscribe and support our veteran writing staff to continue reading.

Get Full Ad-Free Access For Just $0.50/Week

Enjoy unlimited digital access to our Military Culture, Defense, and Foreign Policy coverage content and support a veteran owned business. Already a subscriber?

A Saudi Arabian Blackhawk helicopter crashed during military operations in Yemen on Tuesday killing 12 personnel on board. Saudi sources are stating that the cause of the crash was friendly fire.

The four officers and eight non-commissioned officers were killed while on a mission to try to force out the dominant Houthi group and restore President Abd-Rabu Mansour Hadi to power.

It was the largest loss of life involving Saudi forces since a Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen’s war in 2015.

The official Saudi news agency SPA quoted a statement from the Saudi-led coalition as saying the Black Hawk came down in Marib province, east of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa.

“As a result, four officers and eight non-commissioned officers from the Saudi armed forces were martyred,” it said, adding the possible cause of the crash was under investigation.

But the Yemeni defense ministry’s 26 September news website quoted an officer in Yemen’s military high command as saying the helicopter was shot down 5 km (3 miles) from its landing spot because of “a technical fault that caused a misreading of the air defense system, which resulted in the destruction of the plane before it landed”.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency said the helicopter crashed in an area known as al-Tadaween, northeast of the Marib provincial capital, and that 13 officers and soldiers had died.

The Saudi-led coalition has recently made gains against the Houthis in western Yemen but fighting on other fronts, including Marib, has been static, with little ground changing hands.

The Houthis seized much of northern Yemen including Sanaa in a series of lightning military operations that began in 2014, eventually forcing Hadi to flee.

The apparent fratricide was reportedly committed by forces from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The coalition forces accuse Iran of trying to use the Houthis to expand its influence in Yemen, something the Iranians are denying.

To read the Reuters entire article click here:

Photo courtesy of Associated Press

COMMENTS

You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article.

More from SOFREP

REAL EXPERTS.
REAL NEWS.

Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis.

TRY 14 DAYS FREE

Already a subscriber? Log In