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9 Missing Foreigners Found Dead in Yemen
Hospital workers had been picnicking; al-Qaeda blamed
(AP)
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Nine missing foreigners, including three children, have been found dead in Yemen today, their bodies mutilated, a security official said. The foreigners, including seven Germans, a Briton, and a South Korean, disappeared Friday while on a picnic in the turbulent northern Saada region. Shepherds roaming the area found some remains near a town known as a hideout for al-Qaeda militants.
The foreigners had been working at a hospital in the region, state news reported. Yemen, the poorest nation in the Middle East, is home to restive tribes, a Shiite rebellion, and a division of al-Qaeda that operates in its remote regions and has often targeted foreigners. A tribal leader in the area blamed al-Qaeda for the abduction and killings.
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