Read Wednesday's updates here
8:28 A.M. Yemen forces sought to free U.S., British, South Africa hostages in raid on Al-Qaida
An American, a Briton and a South African were among several hostages Yemeni forces sought to free from Al-Qaida this week, the defence ministry said on its website, describing a raid that a U.S. defence official said also involved U.S. special forces.
In Monday night's assault on a cave in remote Hajr as-Say'ar district in the eastern province of Hadramout, Yemeni security forces rescued six Yemenis, a Saudi and an Ethiopian, and killed seven al Qaeda kidnappers, Yemeni officials have said.
Late on Wednesday the defence ministry's 26sept.net website quoted a soldier who had participated in the rescue as saying an American, a Briton and a South African held there had been moved elsewhere two days earlier.
Another foreign hostage, who may have been of Turkish nationality, was also apparently moved along with the three, the soldier was reported as saying. The soldier cited the rescued hostages for that information, the website said.
While Al-Qaida-linked gunmen in Yemen are known to be holding a number of foreign hostages, an American had not previously been reported among them.
There was no word on the identity of the Briton or the South African. South Africa has said one of its nationals, Pierre Korkie, a teacher, was being held in Yemen after gunmen kidnapped him in mid-2013. (Reuters)
8:22 A.M. Suicide attack hits foreign convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan
A suicide bomber struck a British embassy vehicle in Afghanistan's capital on Thursday and there are some injuries, a spokesman for the embassy in Kabul said.
The extent of the casualties was still unclear and British officials were working with Afghan police, the spokesman said.
General Ayoub Salangi, the deputy interior minister, said the bomber was riding a motorcycle. The bombing is the latest in a wave of attacks to hit Kabul as the majority of foreign combat troops withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of the year. (AP)
Entities 0 Name: Afghanistan Count: 3 1 Name: U.S. Count: 3 2 Name: Kabul Count: 3 3 Name: Yemeni Count: 3 4 Name: Yemen Count: 3 5 Name: South Africa Count: 2 6 Name: British Count: 2 7 Name: Al-Qaida Count: 1 8 Name: Pierre Korkie Count: 1 9 Name: Ethiopian Count: 1 10 Name: AP Count: 1 11 Name: American Count: 1 12 Name: Reuters Count: 1 13 Name: Hadramout Count: 1 14 Name: Ayoub Salangi Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/15pVUIs Title: Yemeni Special Forces Rescue Eight Hostages from al Qaeda in US-backed Raid | VICE News Description: Yemeni special forces rescued eight people, including one foreigner, from an al Qaeda-linked militant group, the country's security authorities said Tuesday. Yemen's Supreme Security Committee said seven soldiers and one other man were freed in a US-backed special-ops raid on an al Qaida base in southern Lahji province.
