A joint task force between Saudi Arabia and the United States rescued teenagers captured by militiamen while visiting family in the capital Sanaa.
Saudi Arabia says it rescued two young American women from Yemen on a joint special operations mission with the United States.
The women, all Yemeni-American teenagers, are being held by Houthi rebels in the Yemeni capital Sanaa after being arrested while visiting their grandmother, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said. Saudi Arabia said on Thursday.
The women were taken by Saudi special forces from Sanaa to Aden, then flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment. They have now been repatriated to the US, Saudi Arabia said.
Saudi Arabia did not say when the rescue mission took place, but a person familiar with the operation said it happened in January and is now being made public because the women have now returned. America.
“During a family visit to Sanaa, two American citizens were abused by the Houthi militias,” said Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki. “The Houthis also placed restrictions on their freedom and movement, and their passports were confiscated.
“At the request of the United States and through a special security operation, two American citizens were released and subsequently transported from Sanaa to Aden,” he added. “Then they were flown by the Royal Saudi Air Force from Aden to Riyadh.”
‘Grateful for the support’
The statement said the joint operation was a sign of cooperation between Washington and Riyadh, something many have questioned recently over differences on issues from global oil supplies to Russian aggression. Ukraine to the Iran nuclear deal.
A US State Department spokesperson confirmed the rescue operation, saying in a statement: “We assisted in the safe return of two American citizens from an area of Yemen currently controlled by the Houthis. ”
The spokesman said the department is grateful for the support of our “Saudi and Yemeni partners… in facilitating their safe departure. Due to privacy considerations, we have nothing extra.”
A source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters news agency.
The Houthi movement, which claims it is fighting a corrupt system, toppled Yemen’s internationally recognized government in 2014 and occupied Sanaa. The militia now controls much of the impoverished country.
A Saudi-led military coalition intervened on the government side in 2015. The conflict recently escalated with Houthi missile and drone attacks on the Emirate. The United Arab Emirates, part of a Saudi-led coalition, prompted the coalition to launch a retaliatory strike.
The war has created what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian disaster, with more than 20 million people in need of assistance or protection.
