Iran war: Qatar denies holding missing Iranian fighter pilots
Tehran said the three pilots "were captured alive" by Qatari forces after their fighter jets were shot down in the early days of the US-Israel war with Iran. Qatar has denied Iran's claims.
Qatar has firmly denied allegations that it is holding three missing Iranian fighter pilots who went missing during the US-Israeli war against Iran. The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, categorically rejected the claims on X, expressing surprise at the misleading statements. He also mentioned the discovery of one pilot's remains and Qatar's efforts to coordinate a handover with Iran. However, Iran's response to the invitation was not forthcoming, according to the spokesman.
These claims emerged after Iranian media reported that Iran's Committee for Missing Persons said the bodies of Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian have been detained by Qatari forces for six months. General Mohammad Bagherzadeh, the head of the Iranian committee, also accused Qatar of holding the pilots and preventing them from contacting their families or Iranian officials. He requested the International Committee of the Red Cross to assist in tracking the pilots' whereabouts.
Qatar's response comes in the wake of Iran's retaliation to the US-Israeli strikes in late February. The Iranian warplanes targeted several US military bases in the Gulf, including those in Qatar. On March 2, the third day of the conflict, Qatar's Defense Ministry confirmed that it had shot down two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers. However, it remains uncertain whether these aircraft were piloted by the three missing Iranian pilots. Qatar has consistently condemned Iran's aggressive actions against its territory.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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