OAKLAND, Calif., April 5 (UPI) -- A Yemeni-American man from northern California was killed while visiting his wife and daughter in Yemen, his family says.
Jamal al-Labani, 45, died alongside his 14-year-old Yemeni nephew as the two walked home from a mosque in Aden on Tuesday. Labani's cousin, Mohammed Alazzani, told USA Today on Sunday that the two were struck by shrapnel from mortars fired by Shia Houthi rebels attacking the port city.
Two months ago Labani traveled to Yemen to retrieve his pregnant wife and 2-year-old daughter from the embattled country, Alazzani said, but he ended up stuck there after the United States closed its embassy in February and airports shut down as Houthis captured the capital and toppled the government.
Labani was the co-owner of a gas station and had dual-citizenship. He moved to the United States 20 years ago and had lived in Oakland for 15. He is believed to be the first American killed in the recent fighting in Yemen.
Over 500 people have been killed in Yemen over the past two weeks, according to the United Nations.
Yemeni-American groups have complained that the U.S. government, after evacuating its embassy and advising travel warnings to Yemen, has done little to ensure the safe removal of other U.S. citizens trapped in the country.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations pointed out that governments of other nations, such as Russia, China, Ethiopia and India, have taken such measures.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Friday that it could provide only limited assistance on the matter, noting that travel advisories relating to Yemen have existed for years, and that Americans in the nation were urged to seek shelter until safe departure was possible.
"It's a shame our government here couldn't do anything; we aren't asking for troops," Alazzani told USA Today. "It's not a very difficult situation to deal with to evacuate the people. It's just a matter of willingness."
