UAE forces free British hostage from al Qaeda in Yemen

Forces from the United Arab Emirates have rescued a British hostage held for more than 18 months by Al-Qaeda in Yemen, authorities in Abu Dhabi and London said on Sunday.

The UAE said Semple was freed during a military intelligence operation and taken to Aden before being flown by UAE military aircraft to Abu Dhabi.

“I’m pleased to confirm that a British hostage held in Yemen has been extracted by UAE forces in a military intelligence operation”, Hammond said in a statement.

“The British national is safe and well and is receiving support from British government officials”.

The UAE’s assistance also covers power supply, healthcare, water and sewage services, and fuel and other relief materials.

The hostage was taken to Abu Dhabi on a military plane on Saturday night, when the emirate’s crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan told Prime Minister David Cameron about the release.

Mr Semple was greeted in Abu Dhabi by the British Ambassador to the UAE, Philip Parham.

It said Semple, 64, had been working as a petroleum engineer in the Yemeni province of Hadramawt when he was kidnapped in February 2014.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia too have previously leveraged their power in negotiating the release of western hostages, media reports suggest.

British-born American Luke Somers, 33, was shot dead by his Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAB) captors in December as they fought US special forces attempting to extract him and South African teacher Pierre Korkie.

His abduction was the third to take place in Yemen in only two weeks.

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.

Kidnapping has long been rife in Yemen, which has been wracked by conflict since March, when a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Iran-backed Huthi rebels. The Houthis and their allies control much of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.