Syria and Yemen maintain military ties while both manage revolts

Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Syria and Yemen, two Arab states confronting revolts, have
been engaged in military cooperation.

Officials said Damascus and Yemen were cooperating in military training
and other programs in 2011. They said Syrian Air Force pilots were in Yemen
to help the Gulf Arab Air Force in combat missions.

“The Syrians have been here for more than a decade and work on teaching
Yemeni pilots basic skills on Russian-origin aircraft,” an official said.

On Oct. 26, Yemen reported a crash of an An-26 Antonov air transport
that contained eight Syrian Air Force officers. All eight were said to have
been killed in the crash during a landing at a southern base near Aden.

Officials said the Syrian air training mission in Yemen began in 1999 as
part of enhanced military cooperation between Damascus and Sanaa. They said
Russia, which supplies major combat platforms to both Arab states,
encouraged the cooperation and facilitated the Syrian training of Yemeni
pilots.

The Yemeni opposition has accused President Ali Abdullah Saleh of
bringing the Syrian officers as part of efforts to quell the revolt.
Officials dismissed the accusation and said Yemenis were conducting air
strike and other missions against rebel strongholds.

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