US hostages freed unhurt in Yemen

The three were hidden in the Bidbida valley, 140 kilometres east of Sanaa after being seized on Tuesday as they returned to Sanaa from a tourist trip to the central city of Taizz. More than 100 soldiers had surrounded the area to pressure the kidnappers into releasing the hostages and tribal dignitaries within the region had been negotiating for a peaceful release.

The soldiers remained in place in a bid to force the kidnappers to surrender to the authorities. Colburn, aged around 40, is the head of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies AIYSin Sanaa. Her parents were on a visit while her husband and son remained in the capital.

The kidnappers demanded the release of 15 fellow tribesmen, five of them dignitaries, arrested by the government for their role in a bomb attack on an oil pipeline belonging to the US firm Hunt Oil, tribal sources said. It was not immediately clear if these men had been released or if a ransom had been paid.