Finland Times

Helsinki, January 29 – Although number of local and international news media termed the Monday`s army attacks on Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen as a move to rescue the abducted Finnish couple and Austrian national, the Finnish authority did not find any link between the attack and rescue operation.

A suicide bomber slammed his explosive-ladden car into a checkpoint in Raada - a town in the province of al-Baydha, where al-Qaeda militants are believed to have several strongholds on Monday, reported Yemen English newspaper the Yemen Post.

The report said that security officials on condition of anonymity revealed that they were not allowed to discuss such matters with the press that the move came after government failure to secure the three western hostages.

The government currently believes they are being held captive by al-Qaeda and claimed that the Finnish couple and Austrian were sold out to terror militants, after abduction by tribesmen from Yemen's capital Sanaa on December 21, 2012, according to the Yemen Post.

But Finnish news media YLE on Monday reported quoting a foreign ministry representative, Legation Counsellor Teemu Turunen that various military operations are constantly underway in Yemen but the operation were not connected to the two Finnish citizens being held in that country.

The Yemen Post also said that Yemen Defense Minister ordered on Monday a simultaneous ground and air attack against the city of al-Manaseh where al-Qaeda set up base.

Residents in and around al-Manaseh reported heavy shelling on the early hours of the morning and heavy shooting.

A government official confirmed the army had begun its offensive "at dawn on Monday."

Meanwhile despite repeated assurances from the high-ups of the Yemen government, no significant progress is yet to detect to rescue the Finnish couple and Austrian national.

After the abduction, the Finnish and Austrian representatives held separate meetings with the president and prime minister of the country to know the progress of the rescue drives and the Yemen authorities assured that moves are on for safely rescue of the abducted people, according to different news media in Yemen.

The Finnish representative Jarno Soeriala on January 14 met the Yemen president, Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the president assured the Finnish envoy that moves are going on for safely release of the abducted Europeans.

Earlier, Finnish and Austrian representative met the Yemen’s prime minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa on December 31 and December 29 respectively to discuss the situation of the abducted Europeans and the Yemeni PM  assured the representatives for his full support to find the Finnish couple and their Austrian friend.

The authorities continue to search for three Europeans but the Ministry refused to provide any further details, reported the Yemen Times, an English language newspaper in Yemen.

The report said that the media outlets had originally reported the Bani Dhabian tribe of Khawlan, located to the southeast of Sana’a, had claimed responsibility for the abduction but Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Marwani, Head of the Dar Al-Salam Organization, a group working on the case, said this is not true.

He said committees had been sent to the tribe, but they determined the victims were not with them.

Meanwhile a national newspaper of Yemen, The Yemen Post after one week of the abduction reported quoting the tribal sources that the militants who kidnapped the three Europeans are seeking as much as $7 million US dollars as ransom to make the hostage free.

The Yemen government, however, refused to negotiate with the kidnappers or give additional details. A senior Interior Ministry officials met with tribal leaders in areas around Sana'a and called on them to assist in the search for the abducted people, said the newspaper report.

One official told Yemen Post that tribal influence in regions surrounding Sana'a is strong which brings up the need for the government to cooperate with the elders hoping to quicken the pace of the investigation.

"The tribal leaders have their eyes in most of the area surrounding Sana'a and we want to ensure that we use all the tools in our hands to help in the search," an Interior Ministry official told Yemen Post.

The official would not give details of where the investigation stands but confirmed the government still lacks enough evidence to know where exactly the kidnapped are.

The government informed Finnish officials who visited Sana’a that a ransom might be needed and confirmed that tribal leaders around Sana’a are helping in the hunt for the kidnappers.

Tribal leaders in the southern suburbs of Sana’a told Yemen Post that the release of the three foreigners would take anywhere between a week to two months ranging on sides agreeing to the ransom. “At times it does not only involve money, it involves the release of prisoners and this case seems like both money and prisoners will be needed to ensure the release of the foreigners,” a tribal leader told Yemen Post.

He said that if negotiations take longer than a month the deal would be somewhat complicating and would involve more for the release.

Tribesmen usually kidnap foreigners to pressure the authorities to meet demands including ransom, releasing detainees or supplying some services to their areas.

Several kidnappings have been reported this year amid alarming security disorder deepened by power vacuum as the unrest, which began last year, persists.