Two Saudis are among eight people who were kidnapped by tribesmen yesterday in southwestern Yemen in a bid to secure the release of two fellow tribesmen.

“Tribesmen from the Subayha tribe intercepted several trucks on the coastal road between the provinces of Lahj and Aden, kidnapping two Syrians, two Saudis and four Yemenis, among them a colonel in the army,” Wahib Al-Mansub, a tribal chief, told AFP.

“They were taken to an unknown destination.”

The security chief of Lahj province, Abdelhakim Shayif, confirmed that “armed tribesmen kidnapped Syrians and others,” without providing further details.