Doha: Qatar on Saturday categorically denied reports that Iranian military pilots were detained by Qatari forces, calling the allegations misleading and saying they came at a sensitive time amid diplomatic efforts to ease regional tensions.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Majed Mohammed Al-Ansari, said authorities had established contact with the pilots after they allegedly breached Qatari airspace and confirmed their targeting trajectory.
Al-Ansari said Qatari authorities attempted to communicate with the pilots but received no response. He said Qatar then followed its rules of engagement and took necessary measures to defend its territory in accordance with international law.
Qatar also said its search and rescue teams later searched for the pilots’ remains and coordinated with Iran to hand over the remains of one pilot who was recovered.
The spokesperson said Qatar had invited an Iranian team in April to review details of the search and rescue operation, but claimed that Tehran had not responded to the invitation.
Qatar’s statement came after Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that three military pilots had been captured by Qatari forces after two Iranian Su-24 fighter jets were downed during a March operation against a US base in Qatar.
Fars identified the pilots as Javad Salehi, Abdol-Majid Dashtian and Emran Behrushian. Iranian officials alleged that the three had been held by Qatari forces for six months and had been denied contact with each other, their families and Iranian officials.
The Iranian report also called for the International Committee of the Red Cross to be granted access to the pilots.
Qatar has rejected the detention claims, maintaining that its actions and subsequent search and rescue efforts were conducted in accordance with international law.
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