3 French aid workers freed in Yemen

PARIS?? Three French aid workers kidnapped in Yemen have been freed with the help of the sultan of Oman after nearly six months in captivity, the French president's office said Monday.

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Men linked to al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen had demanded a $12 million ransom for the three, security officials and local tribesman said in July.

The statement from Nicolas Sarkozy's office announcing the release provides no details of what happened. French authorities insist the government does not pay ransoms.

Sarkozy "warmly thanks the sultan of Oman and the Oman authorities for their decisive help, as well as all those who contributed to this happy outcome," the statement said, without elaborating.

The two women and one man from the aid group Triangle Generation Humanitaire were abducted May 28 in eastern Yemen's Hadramawt province, which is home to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

The aid group, based in Lyon, France, could not immediately be reached for comment Monday on the release.

Security in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, has unraveled since the outbreak of an uprising nine months ago against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in power for 30 years. Al-Qaida-linked militants have taken control of entire towns in the country's restive south.

Yemeni government forces and allied tribesmen killed 10 militants in attacks around the country Sunday, security officials said. A visiting U.N. envoy met with Saleh to push for a solution to the country's political crisis.

Kidnappings are common in Yemen, where tribesmen use abductions to try to force concessions from the government, such as the release of fellow tribesmen in prison.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45283255/ns/world_news-europe/

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