Bodies of 4 soldiers killed in Yemen arrive in UAE

Abu Dhabi, Aug 12 (IANS/WAM) The bodies of four Emirati soldiers killed in Yemen belonging to the UAE Air Force were sent here on Saturday, the media reported.

The General Command of the Armed Forces in the United Arab Emirates announced the death of four of its soldiers on Friday, who fell while carrying out their routine duties in Shabwah province in Yemen, as their helicopter crash-landed after a technical failure, UAE state news agency WAM reported.

"There was a special military ceremony to receive the bodies of the martyrs on the airport grounds," it added.

The bodies were accompanied by a number of officers from the UAE Armed Forces. Senior officers received the martyrs' bodies at a special military reception.

The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition of nine Arab states to support Yemen's internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The coalition has been airstriking Shiite Houthi group across Yemen on a daily basis since March 26, 2015, when Hadi fled to the Saudi capital Riyadh to take refuge. The coalition said its intervention aims to restore Hadi's authority in the country.

--IANS/WAM

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