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Iran announced on August 15 that three of its fighter jet pilots were captured by Qatar after they crashed during the war earlier this year, and appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to secure their release.
“Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war,” said General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces, Fars news agency reported.
“Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian have been held by Qatari forces for six months,” he said in a letter addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
In the letter, Bagherzadeh called for their release, saying the pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families.
The pilots were part of a two-aircraft mission on March 2, in which the Su-24s reportedly flew at extremely low altitude to evade radar before being intercepted by Qatari F-15 fighters and downed over Qatari waters just minutes from their target.
Last month, Iran’s army said it had retrieved the body of Iranian pilot Majid Kazemi, who was killed during the mission in question.
The target of the mission was Al Udeid base, which hosts forward components of United States Central Command, as well as the command’s air forces and special operations forces.
The Islamic Republic had previously said the other pilots were missing, but news of their alleged capture was not publicized at the time.
Qatar reported carrying out a search operation for the pilots right after the engagement, but has not shared any information on their fates since then.
The issue could spark a serious crisis between Iran and Qatar. The two neighboring countries enjoyed excellent relations before the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic. Iranian retaliatory strikes hit Qatar, causing unprecedented tensions.
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these pilots will be tortured until they talk…heheheh
que o irã bombarseie o catar sionista. da turquia sionista, do egito sionista ao paquistão, todos se tornaram pró-israel. o irã precisa da bomba atômica agora.