Yemen says six foreign hostages still alive

SANAA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Six foreigners who have been held by kidnappers in the northern Saada governorate for the past six months are still alive, Yemen deputy prime minister for defense and security affairs said on Thursday.

Rashad al-Alimi, the deputy prime minister for defense and security affairs, told reporters that a German doctor and his wife, their three children, and a British engineer are still alive.

"The Houthi rebels are still holding the foreigners as they benefit from the hostages in treating their wounded fellows in the confrontations with the government troops in Saada."

"But the German side asked us not to make any military action so as not to harm the children," al-Alimi said.

The three children were seen in a new video two weeks ago but the footage featured no sign of their parents.

The six people were among a group of nine foreigners who were kidnapped in northern Yemen. The other three, two German Bible students and a South Korean, were shot dead during the operation of abducting.

The Yemeni government frequently accused the Houthi rebels of the kidnapping, a charge Houthis always deny and blame the government for using such propaganda as a pretext to battle the group.

In Yemen, kidnapping foreigners are a common phenomenon as tribesmen in the lawless areas often resort to such act to force the government to meet their demands.