ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter operated by the Saudi-led coalition crashed on Friday in Yemen's southeastern province of Shabwa, causing injuries, a security official told Xinhua.
According to the security official based in Shabwa, the crashing incident of a UAE Black Hawk helicopter took place in the district of Rudhum at around 4:00 p.m. local time.
The helicopter was participating in the ongoing anti-terror military operations against the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch in the province, the source said.
The security source couldn't verify the reasons that caused the crash, saying that some UAE soldiers were slightly injured in the incident.
However, local media outlets reported that two UAE soldiers died and some others survived and were transformed to the neighboring province of Hadramout.
An eyewitness, Ahmed Khaled, told Xinhua via phone that the chopper hit a hill, and destroyed into small parts which scattered along a valley.
Meanwhile, channels and social media accounts affiliated with the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility that its fighters gunned down a coalition helicopter over Shabwa.
The UAE is part of a Saudi-led coalition comprising nine Arab states to support Yemen's "legitimate" government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The coalition has been bombing on a daily basis the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi group across Yemen since March 26, when President Hadi fled to the Saudi capital Riyadh to take refuge.
