Houthi Forces Claim Shooting Down US MQ-9 Surveillance Drone in Yemen

Houthi forces in Yemen have claimed to have shot down a US MQ-9 surveillance drone in the capital Sanaa.

“A military source said (Houthi) air defense shot down a U.S. MQ-9 surveillance drone in Jader area in the Sanaa province,” Houthi-controlled state news agency SABA reported Sunday.

The drone came down at around 11 am local time in a crowded area on the outskirts of the capital, but there were no reports of any casualties, Reuters quoted its photographer as saying.

The charred wreckage of the aircraft was carried out by the Houthis aboard a Toyota pickup truck.

The Houthi movement and its ally former president Ali Abdullah Saleh control much of northern Yemen, including Sanaa, and are battling a Saudi-led coalition that is trying to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The United States backs the Saudi-led coalition by providing it with intelligence and weapons.