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RAF personnel are servicing Saudi warplanes which are bombing children in the Yemen.

The astonishing revelation was buried in Commons written answers by Defence Minister Mark Lancaster.

He admitted 282 MoD and civilian staff work with Saudi armed forces.

They provide back-up to BAE Systems, which sells arms that the Saudi regime has used to kill an ­estimated 60,000 people.

Mr Lancaster said staff were “on secondment” giving “routine engineering support” and “generic training support” for UK-supplied aircraft ­operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force, including jets operating in Yemen.

(Image: Photo by Lorenzo Tugnoli/ The Washington Post/ Contrasto) (Image: Photo by Lorenzo Tugnoli/ The Washington Post/ Contrasto)

A squadron leader, flight lieutenant and flight sergeant are embedded in the Saudi Air Operations Centre – but the MoD says they are not involved “in planning operational sorties”.

Mr Lancaster was replying to Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who said: “British support keeps Saudi’s air war going. We’re party to the Saudi-led coalition which means Britain is involved in a secret war in Yemen.”

Andrew Smith of Campaign Against the Arms Trade called the revelation “shocking but not surprising”.

“UK military personnel should not be servicing Saudi jets or supporting the Saudi armed forces,” he said.

We have sold the country £5billion of jets, helicopters, drones, bombs and missiles since 2015.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt hopes to broker a UN peace plan to end a conflict which has left 14 million people on the brink of famine.