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Yemen:Britain criticises Yemen for acting hastily As victims named30 December 1998Britain has officially criticised Yemen and asked for an immediate explanation after government troops stormed the hideout of Islamic militant kidnappers holding 16 Western hostages, four of whom were killed In the cross fire on December 29. Two of the hostages, including an American woman, were wounded during the attack that followed a siege near the southern town of Mawdiyah, 175 miles south of the capital, San'a. The remaining 10 hostages were freed unharmed. The dead hostages were Britons - Ruth Williamson, Margaret Whitehouse and Peter Rowe. Australian officials did not release the name of the fourth victim but said he was a 35 -year-old man from Sydney . The wounded were taken to Al-Jamhouriya Hospital in the southern port of Aden. One woman who had been bleeding profusely was shot in the shoulder and the other in the pelvis, and each was given nearly 8 pints of blood. The relatives Claire Marston of Britain, told reporters she was in critical condition after an operation to remove the bullet. Her husband, Peter Rowe, a lecturer at Durham University Northeast England, was one of the four killed on 29 December. The Army killed three of the kidnappers and captured another three, including the leader, according to Yemeni Interior Ministry officials. The officials blamed the kidnappers for the deaths of the three Britons and an Australian, saying security forces intervened after the kidnappers began killing the hostages. Two of the freed hostages who spoke to BBC reporters said it was the army that started shooting first. Another women said four of the hostages were used as human shields. '' They ordered us to stand and raise our hands as the army approached.'' Another Briton wrestled with one kidnapper knocking him into the ground but his gun went off and missed the hostage. British newspapers accused Yemeni authorities of premature intervention. The Daily Mail asked on the front page, "Did our tourists really need to die?" British Ambassador Vic Henderson reportedly had pleaded with the San'a government to do nothing that could jeopardise the safety of the hostages. In San'a, Yemeni journalists said they were surprised the government intervened so quickly when it usually negotiated for several days, if not weeks, in hostage situations. A London-based Islamic human rights group said Tuesday it had contacted the kidnappers the night before and received assurances they would not harm the hostages. "We hold the Yemeni government responsible for the deaths. The way the authorities handled the situation was barbaric and irresponsible," said a spokesman for the Islamic Observation Centre. The Government panicked since this was the first time abduction was carried out by Islamic militants. Security officials said the kidnappers belong to Islamic Jihad. The tourists' convoy was ambushed by men who opened fire on their police escorts. The kidnappers threatened to kill the tourists if the police did not back off, Yemeni security officials said. The kidnappers had demanded the release of two leaders, one of whom was arrested two weeks ago during a government crackdown on Islamic vigilantes enforcing strict Islamic rules in Southern Yemen. Reports that the kidnappers also were protesting the recent U.S. and British airstrikes against Iraq, could not be verified by independent sources. |
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