Metro Detroit Man Among 2 US Hostages Freed From Yemen Amid Civil War
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP/WWJ) - A Michigan man is one of two American hostages who has been freed after months of being held in Yemen's raging civil war.
Former U.S. Marine Sam Farran from Dearborn Heights took his first steps to freedom down a staircase pushed against an Oman royal air force jet.
Farran's wife, Zeina, tells WJBK-TV that the family is "very relieved and thrilled that it's all over." She added that she "can't wait for him to come home."
The security industry worker was joined in the Gulf Arab state by Scott Darden, 45, who works for a New Orleans-based logistics company. Darden was helping to deliver aid throughout the region for Transoceanic and relief organizations, according to a spokesman.
Oman announced Sunday night it had negotiated the release of the two Americans as well as three Saudis and a British citizen being held by Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels.
The White House said it had "worked tirelessly to secure the release" of the Americans since they were taken earlier this year.
"This outcome underscores that we have been and will continue to be tireless in pursuing the release of all Americans detained abroad unjustly, including those who remain in the region," the statement said.
CBS DC reports the war in Yemen has pitted Shiite Houthi rebels and forces fighting for former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against fighters loyal to exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, as well as southern separatists, local militias and Sunni extremists. The conflict escalated in March as a Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition launched airstrikes against the Houthis.
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