TRT staff detained by UAE forces in Yemen’s Aden have been freed

Sources speaking to Daily Sabah said Turkish public broadcaster TRT staff detained by UAE forces by mistake in Yemen's Aden, and have been freed.

A crew of Turkey's public broadcaster TRT has been detained Friday by United Arab Emirates (UAE) forces in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, which also serves as the de-facto capital of the internationally recognized government.

Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement Friday saying that the issue is being investigated and the Turkish ambassador to Yemen is aware of the incident.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia lead a military coalition that has fought alongside President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's forces since 2015 in a war against the Shiite Houthis from north Yemen, which has left tens of thousands of people dead and millions on the brink of starvation and in dire need of humanitarian aid and healthcare.

The ongoing civil war is widely considered as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies against their arch-rival Iran.

Emirati forces in Yemen have repeatedly been accused of targeting civilians, torture and other human rights violations, in addition to acting without coordinating with Hadi's government and ignoring its authority.

Turkey recognizes Hadi's government as the legitimate power in Yemen but prioritizes ending armed conflict and saving the country from a total humanitarian catastrophe.

The country also supports Qatar in its diplomatic spat with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf neighbors, causing another rift in its relations with the UAE.