Yemen tribesmen kidnap 2 soldiers

Yemeni tribesmen have kidnapped two soldiers in the southern city of Daleh to press authorities to release an arrested relative, a security official said Thursday. The soldiers were heading towards Al-Jarba camp overlooking Daleh late on Wednesday when they were abducted, the official said, adding the kidnappers "are demanding the release of a relative arrested recently in Aden over criminal charges". Yemen's powerful tribes frequently seize hostages for use as bargaining counters in disputes with the central government. Foreigners are sometimes among those kidnapped, but nearly all have been released unharmed. Last month, Yemeni tribesmen freed 11 soldiers after receiving an assurance from a senior commander to push for the release of a relative. In another incident, a Dutch couple abducted in Yemen in June issued an impassioned plea in an Internet video earlier this month for their government to act to secure their release, warning they faced execution. Kidnappings in Yemen are sometimes carried out by militants from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. On Sunday, gunmen suspected of being members of AQAP kidnapped an Iranian diplomat in the capital Sanaa. Militants from AQAP, the network's deadliest branch according to the United States, have also been holding Saudi Arabia's deputy consul in Aden, Abdullah al-Khalidi, since March 2012. They have also been holding a South African couple since May.