World

Brits Assail Yemen Rescue Bid

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

December 29, 1998 / 9:44 AM EST / CBS

Yemen faced criticism from Britain Wednesday, a day after troops stormed the hideout of Islamic militant kidnappers holding 16 Western hostages, four of whom were killed.

Two hostages, including an American woman, were wounded during the siege near the southern town of Mawdiyah, about 175 miles south of the capital, San`aa. The rest were freed unharmed. Three kidnappers died.

Yemen's Interior Ministry blamed the kidnappers for the deaths of the three Britons and an Australian, saying security forces intervened only after the kidnappers began killing the hostages.

"They proceeded in killing the captives after refusing any attempts at negotiations, which led security forces to storm the area to prevent further bloodshed and ensure the safe release of the rest of the hostages," the ministry said in a statement.

But 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 in any way could jeopardize the safety of the hostages."

British Foreign Office Minister Baroness Liz Symons told BBC radio the government would be very concerned if it turned out its advice to seek a negotiated solution to the kidnap was ignored.

"There do seem to be conflicting reports...of hostages being used as human shields," Symons said.

"The issue seems to be whether the shooting was triggered by a bungled rescue attampt or whether the Yemeni authorities knew that hostages were already being killed and therefore moved in. That is obviously the point at issue here," she said.

In San`aa, Yemenis said they were surprised the government intervened so quickly when it usually negotiated for several days, if not weeks, in hostage situations, which are frequent in Yemen.

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 Center.

Kidnappings of foreigners occur often in Yemen, large parts of which are run by lawless tribes, but until now the hostages usually have been treated well and released unharmed.

This was the first time an abduction was carried out by Islamic militants. Security officials said the kidnappers belonged to Islamic Jihad.

In London, the Foreign Office confirmed that three Britons -- Ruth Williamson, Margaret Whitehouse and Peter Rowe -- were killed, but did not provide their ages or hometowns.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the fourth victim was a 35-year-old man from Sydney whose name would not be relesed until his next of kin had been notified.

After the shootout, security forces detained scores of suspected Islamic militants, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. At least three kidnappers were captured, the Interior Ministry said.

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 demanded the release of two leaders, one of whom was arrested two weeks ago as part of a government crackdown on Islamic vigilantes enforcing strict Islamic rules in southern Yemen.

Since the killings Britain has told travellers to leave Yemen.