Forces of Yemen’s Houthi-led government said on Monday they had shot down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone.
This came amid an ongoing intense US bombing campaign against the country. The reported downing of the drone came over Yemen’s Marib governorate, while airstrikes hit the capital Sanaa and Saada.
US President Donald Trump has issued a fresh warning to Yemeni troops, calling them “decimated” by a campaign of strikes that began on March 15. President Trump said:
“Many of their fighters and leaders are no longer with us. We hit them every day and night — harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten shipping and the region are rapidly being destroyed. Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to freedom of navigation.”
Yemen claims to have shot down the drone in Marib governorate, home to oil and gas fields still controlled by allies of Yemen’s former government who are now in exile.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Yemeni military, separately said he shot down the MQ-9 drone with a “suitable locally made missile.”
The US military said it was aware of reports of the downed Reaper but declined to comment further. Reaper drones are believed to cost $30m (£23m) apiece.
