This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 000002 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/03/2015 
TAGS: PREL PTER ASEC YM COUNTER TERRORISM
SUBJECT: KIDNAPPING UPDATE: SECURITY FORCES DEPLOY, ROYG 
INCREASES PRESSURE 
 
REF: SANAA 3614 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR THOMAS C. KRAJESKI, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) and ( 
D). 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  Tribesmen continue to hold five Italian 
tourists hostage in the Sirwah mountains, 60 miles northeast 
of Sanaa.  On January 2, the ROYG deployed 33 members of the 
Ministry of the Interior's Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) to an 
area near where the hostages are believed to be held.  The 
kidnappers threatened to kill the hostages if the security 
forces attempted a rescue.  The Italian Ambassador reportedly 
blocked an attempted rescue by the CTU, for fear the 
kidnappers would make good on their threat.  The ROYG 
continued to take a tough public stance, saying it will not 
negotiate with the tribe and will use "all kinds of pressure" 
to secure the Italians' release.  Deploying extra security 
and publicly refusing to negotiate indicates the ROYG is 
taking a firmer hand against hostage-taking, but risks 
stoking the ire of a powerful tribal group with past links to 
terrorist elements (reftel).  End Summary. 
 
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Security Forces Deploy 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C)  On January 2, the CTU was deployed to an area near 
where the Italians are believed to be held since being 
kidnapped January 1 by members of the Jahm tribe in Marib 
province.  The tribe is demanding the release of eight 
imprisoned members being held in relation to a feud with a 
rival tribe.  The kidnappers threatened to kill the hostages 
if security forces stormed the compound.  The Italian 
Ambassador reportedly vetoed a rescue attempt, fearing for 
the hostages' safety.  No rescue attempt appears imminent, 
but the CTU is reportedly preparing to use force against the 
kidnappers once the Italians are released (septel). 
(Comment:  While the CTU, thanks largely to USG assistance 
through the Foreign Military Financing program, is Yemen's 
most capable security force, its hostage rescue skills are 
limited, to non-existent. End Comment). 
 
¶3.  (C)  As security forces deployed, the ROYG continued to 
issue tough public statements against the kidnappers.  Prime 
Minister Abdel Kader Bajammal said the government "will not 
negotiate with the hostage-takers" nor be lenient with those 
involved.  This tough public stance, along with the CTU's 
deployment, indicates the ROYG is taking a much harder line 
compared with the three previous kidnappings of foreigners 
within the last six weeks.  In those cases, the ROYG 
negotiated quietly with the kidnappers and made few public 
statements. 
 
----------------------------- 
The Kidnappers: Who are They? 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C)  The kidnappers are members of the Zaidi clan of the 
Jahm tribe who hail from the oil rich Marib province to the 
east of Sanaa (Note:  The Zaidi tribal group should not be 
confused with the Zaidi Shi'a sect of northern Yemen).  The 
tribe has a history of kidnapping foreigners to win 
concessions from the government, including financial payouts 
and the release of prisoners.  In 2001, members of the Jahm 
tribe kidnapped then German Commercial Attach Rainer Berns, 
reportedly demanding a million-dollar ransom and the release 
of suspects being held for the 2000 USS Cole bombing.  Two 
brothers involved in the kidnapping, Ahmed Ali Al-Zaidi and 
Mohammed Ali Ali Al-Zaidi were members of Yemeni Islamic 
Jihad, an Al-Qaeda associated terrorist group started by 
Yemenis who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan. 
 
¶5.  (C)  The Zaidi clan also belongs to a much larger tribal 
grouping known as the Khawlan al-Teyyal, who comprise around 
140,000 members living in the Sirwah region straddling Sanaa 
and Marib provinces.  Many tribal groups within this region, 
where government control is weak, have also used kidnapping 
as a tool to pressure the central government into providing 
additional resources or releasing imprisoned members. 
Members of the Abidah group within the same region were 
reportedly involved in the recent kidnappings of Austrian and 
Swiss tourists.  The ROYG has also accused Abidah tribal 
members of granting safehaven to terrorist suspects.  In 
2001, fighting broke out between security forces and 
tribesmen, after the Yemeni Republican Guard attempted to 
arrest suspected Al-Qaeda member Abu Ali al-Harethi who had 
been granted safehaven by some tribal members. 
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Comment 
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¶6.  (C) The ROYG appears to have realized its policy of 
giving into tribal demands and not pursuing those involved 
has encouraged other tribal groups to seek redress of their 
own grievances by kidnapping foreigners.  While the ROYG's 
claims of not negotiating with the kidnappers is likely 
false, the potential use of force is clearly figuring into 
any rescue or post-release plan.  A violent ending to a 
Yemeni kidnapping incident would be unusual, as hostages are 
generally released unharmed.  If the ROYG decides, however, 
to take a tougher stand with the Italians' kidnappers, any 
rescue attempt would likely put the hostages in danger.  On 
the other hand, if a peaceful settlement is reached, the CTU 
appears ready to use force against the kidnappers.  While the 
use of force may deter other tribes from continuing the 
recent spate of kidnappings, it would likely increase 
regional tribal animosity toward the central government.  The 
ROYG can ill-afford provoking another disgruntled tribal 
group, as it continues low-level fighting against the 
Al-Houthi insurgency in northwestern Yemen. 
Krajeski