Non-commissioned UAE officer killed in Yemen

A non-commissioned UAE officer on duty has been killed in Yemen, less than a week after another Emirati military officer died in the war-torn country, official news agency WAM reported on Tuesday.

The general command of the UAE Armed Forces announced that Saif Youssef Ahmed Al Falasi, a non-commissioned officer, died while “performing his national duty as part of the UAE Armed Forces’ participation in Operation Restoring Hope.”

The UAE is part of a Saudi-led coalition of Middle East countries conducting air strikes in Yemen in order to expel Houthi rebels who took over parts of the country in September last year.

The coalition is also working to restore the government under Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has fled to Riyadh.

There have been a number of military casualties including Emirati Lieutenant Abdul Aziz Sarhan Saleh Al Ka’abi who was killed late last week and another UAE non-commissioned officer Hazim Obaid Al Ali who died in June.

Two Saudi soldiers were also killed in cross border shelling between the army and the rebels last month.

The conflict in Yemen, which has dragged on for almost one year, has also led to a severe humanitarian crisis in the country.

According to the UN, more than 3,000 people have been killed and 1.2 million displaced since the violence began.

The UN says about 80 per cent of the country’s population – 21 million people – need help. Around 6.1 million are in a food emergency, while another 6.9 million are in a “critical” situation.