Yemeni forces free hostages from Al-Qaeda

Yemeni security forces freed eight hostages — including six Yemenis, a Saudi and an Ethiopian — in a raid in which seven Al-Qaeda operatives were killed, the country's supreme security committee said.

The predawn operation in the eastern province of Hadramout on Tuesday was jointly conducted with the United States, with as many as 24 U.S. special operations commandos participating in the raid, according to The New York Times.

When asked at a press conference on Tuesday whether the U.S. was involved in the operation, Pentagon spokesmen Rear Adm. John Kirby appeared to play down a leading role but did not deny participation. “I would just tell you we continue to support Yemeni counterterrorism efforts and refer you to them to talk to any operations,” he said.

Yemen’s supreme security committee said in a statement that a member of the Yemeni security forces was lightly wounded in the operation.

An earlier statement by the committee said seven of the hostages were Yemenis and one was a foreigner. A Yemeni government source said at the time the foreigner was a U.S. military instructor, but U.S. and Yemeni officials subsequently denied that report.

Yemen, which borders the world's top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, is home to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, regarded by Washington as one of the most active branches of the transnational network founded by Osama bin Laden.

The Pentagon said in 2012 that the U.S. resumed on-the-ground military training aimed at bolstering Yemen's fight against Al-Qaeda after a suspension of such activities during a period of intense political upheaval.

Kidnapping is common in Yemen, which, along with battling an insurgency from fighters linked to Al-Qaeda, is facing a southern separatist movement and sporadic conflicts with armed tribes.

The taking of Western hostages is sometimes carried out by armed groups but is also used as a tactic by tribesmen to resolve disputes with the government and by opportunists hoping to sell hostages to other groups.

Earlier this month, the United Nations said a water engineer from Sierra Leone working in Yemen was freed more than a year after being seized by unidentified armed men.

Al Jazeera and Reuters