Embassy security officer kidnapped in Yemen, Italy says

A security officer at the Italian Embassy in Yemen was kidnapped in Yemen on Sunday, Italy’s Foreign Ministry reported.

The ministry released no details of the abduction, but said it had activated a crisis unit and was working toward the officer’s release.

Kidnappings are common in turbulent Yemen, where the government has been battling tribal uprisings and Islamic militants for some time. President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced from office in February after widespread protests against his 32-year rule, a massive suicide bombing blamed on the Yemen-based affilliate of al Qaeda killed more than 100 government troops in May.