24 February 2017•Update: 24 February 2017
By Ahmed al-Masri
DOHA, Qatar
One Emirati soldier deployed as part of a Saudi-led Arab coalition against the Shia Houthi rebel group has been killed in Yemen, the UAE’s official WAM news agency reported Friday.
The news agency carried an announcement by the UAE Armed Forces’ General Command confirming the death of UAE Army Sergeant Khaled Ali Gharib al-Blushi, who had been participating in a Saudi-led air campaign against the Houthis and their allies.
The statement did not provide any additional details regarding the soldier’s death, which brought the total number of Emirati soldiers killed in Yemen this month to four.
Another Emirati soldier was killed in Yemen last Friday, while a third reportedly died the same day of a heart attack.
The UAE is the second largest contributor -- in terms of air power -- to Saudi Arabia’s anti-Houthi coalition.
Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran capital Sanaa, forcing members of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government to temporarily flee to Riyadh.
In March of last year, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and restoring Yemen’s pro-Saudi government.
Since then, dozens of Emirati military personnel have reportedly been killed in Yemen fighting the Shia group and its allies.
