Officials at the Interior Ministry confirmed on Monday that a foreign doctor from Uzbekistan (a country located directly north of Afghanistan and south of Russia) had been kidnapped by armed tribesmen in what appear to be a tribal spat with the government.
It is important to note that even though the doctor in question was identified by various media outlets as being a Russian national, the Yemen Post can confirm that he is in fact an Uzbek national.
The Doctor, an anaesthetist, was kidnapped at the hospital he worked at in the restive eastern province of Marib. "Security forces sealed off all the exits of the province and .... are looking for the kidnapped doctor and his kidnappers to arrest them," the interior ministry wrote in a text message.
Officials at the Interior Ministry have been keen to stress that at present the kidnapping is not believed to be al-Qaeda relate. That being said, sources did mention under cover of anonymity the possibility of a hand-over to terror elements should not be under-estimated, especially in the light of recent events.
Earlier this week, Ali Hrikadan, the ring leader of a group of tribesmen responsible for the kidnapping of a German national threatened to sell their prisoner to Al-Qaeda should the authorities fail to pay his ransom.
Security experts once again warned that unless the state can manage to regain control of its institutions lawlessness will continue to threaten progress and endanger civilian population.