DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ¨C Yemen¡¯s Houthi forces shot down a U.S. surveillance drone in the capital, Sanaa, on Sunday, the Houthi-controlled state news agency SABA reported.
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.
¡°A military source said (Houthi) air defenses shot down a U.S. MQ-9 surveillance drone in Jader area in the Sanaa province,¡± SABA reported.
A photographer said 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.
The charred wreckage of the aircraft was carried out by the Houthis aboard a pickup truck.
The Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen¡¯s civil war. It began in March 2015 when the Houthis advanced on Hadi¡¯s interim headquarters in the southern port city of Aden, forcing him to flee the country and seek Saudi help.
The war has caused a humanitarian disaster in the country, where more than 2 million people have been displaced while around 750,000 are suspected to have been infected with cholera.
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