In Yemen, Houthis ‘shoot down’ army jet

Houthi fighters say they have shot down a government military plane near their stronghold in the northern Yemeni region of Sa’ada.

The fighters said the plane was a Russian-built Sukhoi which they targeted on Monday, a statement on Houthis’ website said.

Witnesses said the plane was a Sukhoi, which is also Russian-built.

An army spokesman however denied the fighters claim, saying the Sukhoi plane crashed due to technical problems while on a mission in the Anad area.

“The plane which was flying in formation with another aircraft, on the way back from a mission, suddenly swept upwards before crashing in the Anad area,” northeast of Saada, one witness told AFP.

Earlier in October, the fighters said they shot down a MiG while the military insisted technical problems caused the crash.

Yemen has launched ‘Operation Scorched Earth’ on August 11 against the fighters whom it accuses of seeking to restore a religious leadership in the northern areas that was overthrown in 1962.

The Houthis, however, say they want more autonomy, a halt in alleged Saudi-backed efforts to cause regional insecurity and to impose Wahabism in the region, and an end to discrimination against their people.