SANAA, Yemen, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Yemeni military officials denied claims Friday that al-Houthi rebels fighting government forces in north Yemen shot down a MiG 21 in Sadah province.
Al-Houthi rebels issued a statement claiming they downed the jet while it was bombing civilians in villages in the Shaaf area of Sadah.
The Yemeni government was criticized for an earlier airstrike in Amran province that allegedly killed more than 80 civilians.
Yemeni officials through the official Saba news agency said the MiG 21 fighter crashed into a mountain in the region because of technical failures.
In early August, government forces launched a scorched earth campaign against al-Houthi rebels in the northern provinces of Yemen, creating what relief agencies describe as a humanitarian disaster.
U.N. and humanitarian agencies say tens of thousands of internally displaced persons are trapped by the conflict. Saudi Arabia said it would host cross-border humanitarian relief operations beginning as early as next week.
Yemeni officials say as many as 28 al-Houthi rebels were killed in recent clashes with government forces in the north. Four soldiers were also killed in fighting in Amran province.
