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| Arabia | |
| Yemen: Seven missing hostages found dead | |
| 2009-06-15 | |
| The dead bodies of seven foreign hostages abducted three days ago were found in Yemen on Monday. Local police in north-west Saada province (photo) confirmed that seven of the nine hostages had been found. At least three of the victims were reportedly German women and local officials said some bodies had been found with bullet wounds. Yemeni authorities said the group included a German doctor, his wife and their three children, as well as a Briton and his South Korean wife and two other German nationals. The foreigners were kidnapped while on a picnic in Saada on Friday. The adults all worked at a hospital in Saada, the state news agency said.
Arab media said that Shia rebels belonging to the secessionist Huthi Zaidi group were responsible but the group has so far denied any involvement in the foreigners' deaths. Local sources quoted by Al-Arabiya said the group was part of a Christian Baptist organisation that also has a medical team in the hospital in the south of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. It is unclear what happened to the remaining two hostages, however, some unconfirmed reports say two of the children were found alive. Most foreigners abducted by disgruntled tribesmen in impoverished Yemen in recent years have been released unharmed. The tribesmen kidnap foreigners as a means of bargaining with the government either to secure the release of jailed tribe members, for jobs or improved living conditions. The Saada government and Huthi rebels signed a Qatari-brokered peace deal last June but there has been a dispute about its implementation. More than 200 foreigners have been abducted in the past 15 years. From an earlier report : Yemen official: 3 German women hostages found dead SAN'A, Yemen (AP) - A Yemeni security official says three German women hostages have been found dead, their bodies mutilated. The official says shepherds found the bodies Monday morning in the mountainous northern Saada province, near the town of el-Nashour, which is known as a hideout for al-Qaida militants. A tribal leader in the area says al-Qaida was behind the killing. Both the official and the tribesman spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the press. The three were among a group of nine foreigners, including seven Germans, abducted Friday in the remote area. The Interior Ministry said the foreigners, who were not identified, were kidnapped while on a picnic. | |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #1 A group of European medical missionaries, working to relieve some of the pain and agony of Yemenis, are kidnapped and killed. These are true martyrs of their faith, whether anyone officially recognizes it or not. Those responsible for this are merely two-legged animals that need to be hunted down and killed. Hiding behind one's "faith" for committing such crimes indicates that faith isn't very deep, or very enlightening. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-06-15 14:40 |