Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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June 14, 2009

Yemen Reports Kidnapping of 9 Foreigners
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=24C3164:A6F02AD83191E160211F17883B32E7DAA13B8D4F2090AB2B&
 
Officials accuse Shi'ite militants of taking a group of seven Germans, a
British engineer and a South Korean teacher hostage in the Saada region 
Yemeni authorities say rebels have kidnapped nine foreigners, including
women and children, in a mountainous northern region. Government
officials on Sunday accused a Shi'ite militant group of taking a group
of seven Germans, a British engineer and a South Korean teacher hostage
in the Saada region. The Germans reportedly include three children, two
nurses, and an engineer and his wife. Yemeni officials said the hostages
work for an international aid group at a hospital in Saada, where they
said foreigners have been working for 35 years. There was no immediate
claim of responsibility for the kidnapping, but Yemen officials claimed
Houthi militants were responsible. The French news agency, AFP, says a
Houthi rebel spokesman dismissed the claim as "baseless" and accused
Yemen authorities of staging recent kidnappings. Rebels loyal to a Zaidi
Shi'ite cleric, Hussein al-Houthi, have been fighting government
loyalists in Saada province since 2004.Seoul confirmed only that a South
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 Korean woman was missing and presumed kidnapped in Yemen. There was no
confirmation of the kidnapping from the German or British governments.
The reported kidnapping comes just days after tribesmen released 24
medical workers, including foreigners, who were abducted Thursday.
Tribesmen in Yemen often take foreigners hostage to pressure the
government on a range of demands. The foreigners are generally released
unharmed.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters. 


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