US citizen held in Yemen freed after 18 months: Trump

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A U.S. oil worker held prisoner in Yemen for a year and a half has been freed with the assistance of the United Arab Emirates, President Donald Trump announced Monday.

"It is my honor today to announce that Danny Burch, a United States citizen who has been held hostage in Yemen for 18 months, has been recovered and reunited with his wife and children," Trump said in a statement on Twitter.

"I appreciate the support of the United Arab Emirates in bringing Danny home," he added. "Danny’s recovery reflects the best of what the United States and its partners can accomplish."

Additional details on Burch's status were not immediately available.

Burch had worked for Yemen's Safer Oil Company and was reportedly abducted by Houthi rebels in the capital, Sanaa, after taking his children to school.

Reports from January said he was flown to neighboring Oman with a senior Houthi leader and was released there. But it is unclear if the reports are accurate.

Yemen has been wracked by conflict since Houthi rebels overran wide sections of the country, including Sanaa, starting in 2015. A Saudi-backed coalition has worked to roll back their advances but has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis in the Arab world's poorest nation.