Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and the deputy commander of UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan said that the hostage was rescued in a military intelligence operation by the UAE in Aden.
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A 64-year-old British oil engineer has been freed by United Arab Emirates forces in Yemen, 18 months after he was kidnapped while working in the country, the UAE’s official news agency said.
Mr Hammond added that Britain was “very grateful for the assistance of the UAE”.
The hostage was extracted by UAE forces based in the port city of Aden, according to UAE state news agency WAM.
The fighting pits Shiite rebels known as Houthis and troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against a mix of local militias, Sunni tribesmen and other backers of the current president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who was forced into exile in Saudi Arabia.
Yemen has been wracked by conflict since March, when a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Iranian-backed Huthi rebels.
Following his release, Semple was flown to the UAE via a military aircraft and was received by officials at the Abu Dhabi airport.
As well as Aden, they have recaptured four other southern provinces and in recent days have fought fierce battles for control of Yemen’s third-largest city, Taez.
Kidnapping of foreigners in Yemen is common and most end peacefully with the hostages being freed unharmed.
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.
In July 2014 Mike Harvey was released five months after being captured in Sanaa.
AQAP was behind several plots against Western targets, including this year’s deadly attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo.
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“Dozens of Al Qaeda militants were patrolling the streets with their weapons in total freedom in a number of areas in Tawahi”.
