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Two U.S. citizens kidnapped in Yemen

May 24, 2010 at 8:46 AM
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SANAA, Yemen, May 24 (UPI) -- Armed men reportedly kidnapped two U.S. tourists in Yemen Monday, sources told the Yemen Observer.

The tourists were on their way from Manakhah to the Yemeni capital of Sanaa when they were abducted about 30 miles west of Sanaa, the sources said.

No identities were released and it was not clear who was responsible.

U.S. diplomatic officials in Sanaa said they could not confirm the two were U.S. citizens, CBS News reported.

The incident came a day after U.S.-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, in a video, called for the killing of U.S. civilians. The video was released by an al-Qaida sect in Yemen.

The White House last month approved Awlaki for a CIA list of targets for assassination. Sunday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Awlaki was being pursued actively.

"We are actively trying to find him and many others throughout the world that seek to do our country and to do our interests great harm," Gibbs said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

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