White House reports release of 2 Americans held in Yemen, thanks government of Oman for help

WASHINGTON – Two Americans held in war-torn Yemen were released and sent to Oman, the White House said Sunday.

A statement from the National Security Council did not identify the Americans or detail the circumstances of their captivity or their release.

But a spokesman for a New Orleans-based logistics company, Transoceanic Development, confirmed that employee Scott Darden, 45, was freed. Darden was helping to deliver aid throughout the region for Transoceanic and relief organizations among its clients, according to spokesman Ken Luce.

The White House said it had “worked tirelessly to secure the release” of the Americans since they were taken earlier this year.

“This outcome underscores that we have been and will continue to be tireless in pursuing the release of all Americans detained abroad unjustly, including those who remain in the region,” the statement said.

Luce said Darden was held since March, had worked for the company for a little less than a year, and that his wife and son live in Dubai.

The company’s CEO, Gregory Rusovich, said in a statement, “We cannot begin to express the sense of joy and relief we feel with Scott’s release. He has been safely evacuated and will be reunited with his family very soon.”

The U.S. thanks the government of Oman for helping secure the release of the Americans.

The war in Yemen has pitted Shiite Houthi rebels and forces fighting for former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against fighters loyal to exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, as well as southern separatists, local militias and Sunni extremists. The conflict escalated in March as a Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition launched airstrikes against the Houthis.

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Associated Press writer Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans contributed to this report.