US Family 15 Escape Capture~Yemen
Disclaimer: Due to the very active threat on this family's life, no photos, names nor specific information on their location are provided. For further information or to confirm the existing dangers facing this family, you may contact the Law Offices of Gallagher & Hanson, or the elected officials in my home State of Maryland, Senator Cardin and Congressman Cummings.
My name is Yodit (Mimi) and I have been working over the past few months to repaptriate an American Family of 15 that is currently trapped in Yemen, to the United States. 10 out of the 15 are young children, the youngest of whom is 1 year and 9months old.
What Took Them to Yemen
This US family traveled to Yemen in order to be near and support their eldest daughter who was married to a Yemeni national and had relatively recently welcomed a new addition to the family with the birth of a new baby. The mother and teen-aged daughter went to Yemen shorly after and were being supported by the father and son who were left in the United States. The plan was to apply for visa for her child and the husband and everyone would return to the US together. Everything was approved but the US consulate was shut down before they could get the final interview. One night, on his way home from work, the father suffered a fatal heart attack. In an effort to honor the will of his father, an American who was born in Yemen, the son took his father's body to Yemen, to be buried.
War Broke Out With No Escape
Shortly after their sorrowful reunion, the KSA declaired a no-fly zone over Yemen when a militant group called Houthi began an expantionist campaign throughout the country.
(See Update #2 for more information on how the children were orphaned protecting the Americans when Houthi expanded into their city)
We are working hard to evacuate them through the chanels available to us by the State Department and the International Organization for Migration, but the family will not leave the children, some of whom are orphans from Yemen that the family has taken legal guardianship over, for them to be taken up by militants on either side of the war and used as child soldiers. Our current struggle is to work through the process of granting the children admission to the United States so that the IOM can evacuate the family together.
Barely Escaped Being Kidnapped
The risk to this family's safety is now much higher after the son narrowly evaded being kidnapped by Houthi militants (below). 
After KSA lead airstrikes compromised the integrety of the house in which they were living, blowing out all of the windows and doors, they relocated to a remote village (I'm sorry but, for their safety, I don't feel comfortable listing their names nor the name of the village to which they relocated).
The village has very limited cell signal and no internet access, so in order to communicate with me, they would send the son with a cell phone to walk hours in order to get a signal. Most of the time, this signal is best found in another neighbouring village. During one of our talks about the status of their evacuation, his voice got low and he curtly told me to call back in 2 hours. When I called back, he told me about having been surrounded by Houthi militants who cornered and began interrogating him, and his escape from near capture.
Within a week of this incident the State Department confirmed that, Casey Coombs (photo below), and 4 other Americans were kidnapped by Houthi in Yemen. 
Mr. Coombs has since been released, and the US is in ongoing negotiations for the release of the remaining American citizens.
What Next?
The family is confident that our great nation will do its best to facilitate their evacuation as quickly as possible, but after the most recent attempt to kidnap one of the family members, our fear is that they have been marked or followed.
Supporting the Children
With the evacuation process underway, the funds raised will help to make accomidations for resettlement of the children in the United States. Or you can...
Other Important Ways to Support
One of the most important aspects of this case is that we let people know that we care about what happens to this family and these kids!
1) Call or Write a letter of support to Congress man Cummings (202.225.4741) and Senator Cardin's offices (www.cardin.senate.gov/contact ).
2) Spread the word on every social media site available so that the story goes viral.
3)Skilled Carpenters can volunteer a day of service to help restore the family's home after it was robbed of wire piping, hot water heater, cabinets, etc..., to volunteer please contact me at [phone redacted]
We will continue to update this site with the status of their evacuation.
We appreciate your prayers and support.
I understand that not everyone is in a position to give, but please do your best to spread the word!
God Bless You All!
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Social Media
#TheGr8YemenEscape
Twitter: The Gr8 Yemen Escape @Gr8YemenEscape
