British hostage released in Yemen

United Arab Emirates forces based in Aden meanwhile freed a British hostage who had been held by the group, the UAE state news agency WAM said on Sunday.

Following his release, Semple was flown to the UAE via a military aircraft and was received by officials at the Abu Dhabi airport.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed the release of a British hostage by UAE forces in a military intelligence operation.

The hostage, who has not been officially named, is now “safe and well” and receiving support from British officials, Mr Hammond said.

The UAE is one of the key countries contributing to global efforts in providing assistance to the people of Yemen.

Douglas Robert Semple, 64, was working as a petroleum engineer in the Hadramaut area when he was taken at gunpoint.

The WAM report did not provide additional details about the mission but mentioned that the UAE Armed Forces operating in Aden had reached the location where Semple was held.

It said Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan telephoned British Prime Minister David Cameron last night to inform him of the operation.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the local branch of the network, is considered among its most unsafe affiliates and has taken advantage of the chaos in Yemen to seize territory including Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla.

Yemeni loyalists are backed by countries including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Yemen has been wracked by conflict since March, when a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Houthi rebels.

In July 2014, Mike Harvey was released five months after being captured in Sanaa.

Amid the turmoil, Al-Qaeda forces, which rose in Yemen in the late 1990s, have been gaining influence. Two days earlier, a German citizen was also kidnapped.