By ELIAS MESERETAssociated PressADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Two Eritrean pilots have defected with their fighter jets to neighboring Ethiopia, an Eritrean opposition group confirmed Thursday, in a dramatic exit from one of the world's most closed-off states. "The two pilots flew their small-sized fighter jets to Mekelle on Wednesday morning," Nasredin Ahmed Ali, spokesman for the Ethiopia-based Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization, told The Associated Press. He said Ethiopian fighter jets accompanied them upon their entry into the country's air space. This is the first time Eritrean pilots have defected to Ethiopia with their jets, but there have been reports of the East African country's pilots defecting to Saudi Arabia since 2012. Pilots have used their fighter jets to make high-profile defections in other parts of the world, notably during the Cold War.

Source: Ethiopian News October 27, 2016 10:17 UTC