Qatar calls Iran’s claim ‘misleading’, denies capturing 3 pilots after March strike

Qata
de ies
detai i g
th ee
I a ia
pilots
( ep ese tative
image)

Qata
o
Satu day
de ied
I a ia
claims
that
its
fo ces
we e
holdi g
th ee
I a ia
milita y
pilots
captu ed
afte
thei
fighte
jets
we e
dow ed
du i g
a
Ma ch
ope atio ,
sayi g
the
allegatio s
we e
misleadi g
a d
came
at
a
se sitive
time
amid
effo ts
to
ease
egio al
te sio s.Qata i
fo eig
mi ist y
spokespe so
Majed
Mohammed
Al-A sa i
said
autho ities
had
attempted
to
co tact
the
pilots
afte
they
allegedly
violated
Qata i
ai space
but
eceived
o
espo se.Qata
the
acted
u de
its
ules
of
e gageme t
to
defe d
its
te ito y,
he
said.“We
catego ically
de y
the
claims
that
have
bee
ci culated
ega di g
the
dete tio
of
I a ia
pilots,
a d
we
a e
su p ised
by
these
misleadi g
stateme ts
at
this
specific
timi g,”
Al-A sa i
said
i
a
post
o
X.

Qata
says
it
fou d
emai s
of
o e
pilot

Al-A sa i
said
Qata i
sea ch
a d
escue
teams
subseque tly
sea ched
fo
the
pilots
a d
late
coo di ated
with
I a
to
ha d
ove
the
emai s
of
o e
pilot
who
was
fou d.“Qata i
sea ch
a d
escue
teams,
which
possess
global
efficie cy
a d
expe tise,
fulfilled
thei
duty
to
the
fullest
i
sea chi g
fo
the
pilots’
emai s,”
he
said.

Qata
also
said
it
had
i vited
a
I a ia
team
i
Ap il
to
exami e
the
details
of
its
sea ch
a d
escue
ope atio s,
but
claimed
Teh a
had
ot
espo ded
to
the
i vitatio .

“Additio ally,
a
i vitatio
was
exte ded
fo
a
team
to
visit
a d
lea
about
the
details
of
the
sea ch
a d
escue
ope atio s
last
Ap il,
to
which
the
I a ia
side
has
ot
espo ded
to
date,”
Al-A sa i
said.The
Qata i
stateme t
came
afte
I a ia
media
epo ted
that
th ee
pilots
we e
captu ed
alive
by
Qata i
fo ces
afte
ejecti g
f om
two
I a ia
Su-24
fighte
jets
du i g
a
missio
ta geti g
a
US
milita y
facility
i
Qata .Acco di g
to
Fa s
News
Age cy,
Ge e al
Mohammad
Baghe zadeh,
comma de
of
the
Sea ch
Committee
fo
the
Missi g
of
the
Ge e al
Staff
of
the
A med
Fo ces,
ide tified
the
pilots
as
Javad
Salehi,
Abdol-Majid
Dashtia
a d
Em a
Beh ushia .He
claimed
they
had
bee
held
by
Qata i
fo ces
fo
six
mo ths
a d
called
fo
the
I te atio al
Committee
of
the
Red
C oss
(ICRC)
to
be
give
access
to
them.I a ia
state
ews
age cy
IRNA
had
also
cited
a
se io
milita y
official
maki g
the
claim
that
th ee
pilots
had
bee
captu ed
alive.

Dispute
ce t es
o
Ma ch
attack
o
US
base

The
claims
elate
to
the
wide
egio al
co flict
that
bega
o
Feb ua y
28,
whe
the
U ited
States
a d
Is ael
lau ched
st ikes
agai st
I a ,
p ompti g
I a ia
etaliatio
agai st
ta gets
i
Is ael
a d
US
milita y
facilities
ac oss
the
Gulf.I a ia
fo ces
ta geted
the
US
milita y
p ese ce
at
Al
Udeid
Ai
Base
i
Qata ,
which
hosts
fo wa d
compo e ts
of
US
Ce t al
Comma d,
i cludi g
its
ai
fo ces
a d
special
ope atio s
fo ces.
The
facility
is
the
la gest
US
milita y
base
i
the
egio .Qata
said
the
I a ia
pilots
e te ed
its
ai space
du i g
the
ope atio
a d
failed
to
espo d
to
attempts
by
Qata i
autho ities
to
establish
co tact.
Al-A sa i
said
Qata
subseque tly
took
“the
ecessa y
measu es”
to
defe d
its
te ito y
i
acco da ce
with
i te atio al
law.I a
had
p eviously
desc ibed
some
of
the
pilots
i volved
i
the
i cide t
as
missi g.I a ‘s
a my
said
last
mo th
that
it
had
ecove ed
the
body
of
I a ia
pilot
Majid
Kazemi,
who
was
killed
du i g
a
attack
o
Al
Udeid
i
ea ly
Ma ch.The
latest
I a ia
claims,
the efo e,
ma k
a
sig ifica t
escalatio
i
the
dispute
ove
the
fate
of
the
pilots,
with
Teh a
allegi g
they
su vived
a d
we e
captu ed,
while
Qata
says
its
sea ch
teams
ecove ed
the
emai s
of
o e
pilot.The
allegatio s
come
agai st
the
backd op
of
co ti ui g
diplomatic
effo ts
to
p eve t
a othe
escalatio
i
the
egio .
Fighti g
that
bega
i
late
Feb ua y
was
followed
by
a
Ap il
ceasefi e
a d
subseque t
attempts
to
establish
a
f amewo k
fo
peace
talks,
although
those
effo ts
late
collapsed.A
lull
i
fighti g
has
bee
i
place
si ce
late
July.

Go to Sou ce