Nine truck drivers abducted by armed tribesmen in south Yemen
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E-mail Xinhua, October 8, 2012
Nine truck drivers abducted by armed tribesmen in south Yemen
ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A group of Yemeni armed tribesmen abducted nine truck drivers, including five Syrian nationals, in the troubled southern province of Lahj on Monday, a security official told Xinhua.
The armed tribesmen, who demanded the government authorities to free their imprisoned kinsmen, kidnapped five Syrian and four Yemeni truck drivers while they were travelling in a main highway in Lahj province, the security official said, requesting anonymity.
"Angered tribesmen armed with automatic rifles intercepted the trucks passing through a tribal region in Lahj province and abducted about nine drivers, including foreigners," the security official said.
The tribesmen kidnapped the drivers in order to press the government authorities to free their detained kinsmen from the central jails, the source added.
The abducted drivers were taken to unknown destinations, according to the official.
Kidnapping of foreigners is common in Yemen as the impoverished Arab country has been experiencing a fragile security situation since massive anti-government protests broke out last year which eventually unseated long-time leader Ali Abdullah Saleh earlier this year.
Most of the abducted foreigners were freed unharmed.
A Saudi diplomat and a Swiss female national have been still held hostage by the Yemeni branch of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) since March. The militants have demanded the Yemeni government a ransom and set free their jailed followers in return for the release of abducted foreigners.
Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has launched reforms in the army and security institution, vowing to restore security and uproot the resurgent al-Qaida militants. Enditem
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