UAE’s reconnaissance aircraft shot down in Taiz

TAIZ, Nov. 21 (YPA) – Tribal gunmen shot down on Friday a reconnaissance aircraft of the Saudi-UAE coalition in Al-Waziyah district, west of Taiz province.

Local sources affirmed the aircraft was belonging to the forces of UAE-backed Tariq Afash, the nephew of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, while flying over the villages and mountains surrounding the area.

The downing of the drone came after an attack by tribal gunmen on a security checkpoint belonging to Tariq Afash’s forces in the Al-Mateen area, which led to armed clashes between the two sides. Medium and light weapons were used during the clashes.

The region is witnessed an armed escalation between the “Afash” factions and the people of Al-Waziyah, amid increasing tribal calls for tribal mobilization in response to violations against citizens.

Tribal fighters called for calming the situation by the withdrawal of the military campaign from the vicinity of their villages. No official information has yet been received regarding casualties on either side, or regarding the course of the ongoing efforts to contain the escalation.

For his part, Sheikh Mansour al-Mashouli, one of sheikhs of the al-Waziyah tribe, called on the military campaign led by Tariq Afash to immediately withdraw from the vicinity of civilian villages to avoid further escalation.

However, this call was effectively ignored on the ground, with significant military reinforcements belonging to Tariq Afash arriving in the al-Hadara area from al-Mukha since last Monday.

This indicates that the UAE-backed factions are opting for escalation rather than a resolution, raising the possibility of wider clashes in the coming hours.

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