US citizen held in Yemen for more than 18 months freed

Muscat

A US citizen who was detained for more than a year and a half by Iran-backed Al Houthi militants in Yemen has been released, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday.

Wallead Yusuf Pitts Luqman was freed with assistance from Oman, Kerry said in a statement, adding that he and his aides had been focused on the case since Luqman was detained.

“We also recognise this positive gesture by Al Houthis,” Kerry said.

Al Houthis and forces loyal to ousted Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh are fighting a civil war against internationally-recognised President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.

Luqman is the third American held by Al Houthis to be released since mid-October. The government of Oman, a US ally in the Gulf, mediated in each case.

News reports have described Luqman as a former US. Marine who was abducted in April 2015 while trying to leave Yemen, where he had been teaching English.

Following the release of two US citizens from Yemen on October 15, a woman who identified herself as Luqman’s wife urged his release.

“While other Americans continue to be released, Wallead is left behind. Wallead has missed too much, his children need him in their life, he needs to come home now,” she wrote on Facebook.

A senior State Department official said Kerry was personally involved in securing Luqman’s release, working closely with Omani officials and meeting with Luqman’s family a few weeks ago to update them on his efforts.

Kerry called the family today to make sure they knew he was getting released, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Oman’s state news agency ONA reported earlier on Sunday that an American held in Yemen, whom it did not identify, was released in the Al Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital of Sana’a and flown to Oman aboard an Omani royal air force jet.

Oman also received more than 100 injured Yemenis on Sunday evening in a response to Royal orders of Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed, according to the Oman News Agency (ONA).

The injured Yemenis will receive medical treatment in various government hospitals in the capital Muscat due to clashes in the war-torn country.

So far, more than 700 Yemenis have been treated in various Omani hospitals in both Muscat and Salalah.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Abdul Salam, an Al Houthi spokesman thanked Oman for its help and its support in peace efforts in an interview with Oman TV.

“We need peace and stability in Yemen with the participation of all Yemeni parties. The Yemeni crisis will be solved only with agreement of all Yemeni parties and without external interference of others,” he said.

Oman is the only GCC country not participating in the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting Al Houthi militants in Yemen, but it has provided humanitarian assistance.

Oman received more than 5,000 refugees from 48 nationalities via land borders since 2015.

States whose citizens were trapped in Yemen asked Oman to allow them to cross the border.