Yemen War claims new Emirati soldier's life

The United Arab Emirates says an Emirati soldier has been killed while taking part in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, state media reported on Friday.

According to WAM news agency, the armed forces identified the slain soldier Soliman Mohammed Soliman al-Dhohouri.

A second Emirati soldier in Yemen died of a heart attack, the report said.

The UAE, which has one of the best-equipped militaries in the region, has suffered numerous losses since a Saudi-led Arab coalition – of which the UAE is a member - intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to fight Iran-back Houthi rebels.

The coalition has supported forces of the internationally recognised Yemeni government since the rebels seized control of Sanaa and other parts of the country in September 2014.

In coordination with local Yemeni fighters, Emirati soldiers have played the main role this month in capturing the port town of al-Mokha, part of a strategic push to deny Houthi forces access to Yemen's Red Sea ports.

More than 7,400 people, including around 1,400 children, have been killed in two years of fighting in Yemen, according to the UN, while three million others have been displaced.