2 Japanese women freed after being kidnapped in Yemen
SAN'A, Yemen—Two female Japanese tourists kidnapped in Yemen's Marib province Wednesday were freed after tribal mediation, a Yemeni security official said.
The two women were kidnapped by members of the Aziza tribe, who demanded that Yemeni officials release one of their tribesman who was in government custody, said the security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
It was not immediately clear if the tribesman was released.
The Yemeni Tourism Ministry issued a statement confirming the release and saying the women were in good health.
The security official said the women were part of a group visiting a historic dam in the town of Marib when they were seized by unknown armed men. He said the kidnappers shot at Yemeni soldiers accompanying the tourists and wounded one of them before they seized the women and sped away in a car.
Yemeni tribes have in the past taken foreigners as hostage to pressure the government for demands that span from freeing clan members from jail to improving roads, hospitals and schools in their area.
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