This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/saudi-soldier-held-in-yemen-released-in-prisoner-swap/2016/03/09/047b94e6-e5f6-11e5-a9ce-681055c7a05f_story.html

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Saudi soldier held in Yemen released in prisoner swap Saudi soldier held in Yemen released in prisoner swap
(35 minutes later)
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s official news agency says the kingdom’s military conducted a prisoner swap, releasing seven Yemenis in exchange for a Saudi corporal. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia released seven Yemenis in exchange for one of its soldiers, the Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday. It marked the first announced prisoner swap since a Saudi-led coalition of Arab countries went to war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels nearly a year ago.
It marked the first announced prisoner swap since a Saudi-led coalition of Arab countries went to war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels nearly a year ago. Saudi troops and Houthis often clash at the border, but it was not immediately clear whether the rebels had been holding the soldier. The Saudi military and Houthi fighters frequently clash along the kingdom’s southern border with Yemen. The Saudi statement, however, did not specify if the Houthis had been holding the soldier who was released.
The SPA says Yemeni tribal leaders coordinated the swap that led to the release of Cpl. Jaber al-Kaabi. Wednesday’s statement said the seven Yemenis had been detained in areas of military operations near the border with Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition statement carried by SPA said Yemeni tribal leaders coordinated the prisoner swap that led to the release of Cpl. Jaber al-Kaabi. It also said Yemeni tribal figures helped facilitate the delivery of aid across the border into Yemeni villages.
The Saudi-led coalition statement also said Yemeni tribal figures helped facilitate the delivery of aid across the border into Yemeni villages. The statement said the seven Yemenis had been detained in areas of military operations near the border, but did not give details on when the Yemenis and the solider had been detained nor where the exchange took place.
In September, the Houthis released a video purporting to show another Saudi corporal, named Ibrahim al-Hakimi, being held captive.
The Yemeni capital of Sanaa and the northern region of the country where Houthis are in control have reported relative calm in recent days.
It comes as a delegation of tribal leaders from Yemen’s border area were in the Saudi capital of Riyadh this week to discuss prisoner swaps, according to Mohammed Ali al-Emad, a brother of a top Houthi politician with knowledge about the talks. He told The Associated Press the talks are aimed at paving the way for possible cease-fire negotiations because the warring sides, “have realized that war so far has failed to force any of the two to retreat.”
The Houthis took over the capital Sanaa in September 2014, and the Saudi-led coalition began airstrikes against the Houthis in March 2015. Al-Qaida militants, the Islamic State group, southern separatists, and other militants have capitalized on the chaos of the civil war.
The nearly yearlong war has killed more than 6,000 people and created what the United Nations warns is a “humanitarian catastrophe” with some 7.6 million people “severely food insecure” and 3.4 million children out of school. The conflict pits the Yemeni government, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, against the Houthis and loyalists of Yemen’s former longtime president. The Houthis are also allies of Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran.
___
Al-Haj reported from Sanaa, Yemen. Associated Press writers Maggie Michael in Cairo and Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.