Burch, who is from Texas and has been an employee for years of the Yemeni Safer oil company, was taken captive by Houthi rebels in broad daylight near Sana’a, Yemen’s capital in September 2017, after dropping his children off at a school event.
The Houthis are backed by Iran, and have been fighting U.S. and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen since civil war engulfed the country in 2015. Details of why Burch was kidnapped are still unclear, but it is known that in January, he was flown to Oman along with members of Houthi leadership.
The State Department confirmed Burch’s return, but said that, “out of respect for the family’s privacy and for their security, we will not comment on their current condition or location.”
Burch “is safe and secure, and is reunited with his wife and children,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. “The family has asked for privacy as they recover from this ordeal.”
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Trump also thanked the United Arab Emirates for its help in securing Burch’s release.
“We work every day to bring Americans home,” read a statement from the White House. It added that recovering American hostages is a “priority” of the administration.