SAN’A, Yemen (AP) – Yemen’s Shiite rebels say they shot down a government fighter jet in the country’s north and captured the pilot.
Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdel Salam says fighters downed the MiG-29 jet with an anti-aircraft missile early Friday in mountainous Saada province. He identified the pilot as Lt. Shamsan Mohammed Abdu
Meflih.
A Defense Ministry official confirmed that a MiG-29 jet crashed into a mountain in Saada but denied it was shot down. He did not comment on the fate of the pilot and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The rebellion started in 2004 when Shiite fighters took up arms against the central government complaining of neglect and widening influence of hard-line Sunni fundamentalists.