Wadi Dawan
Encyclopedia
Wadi Dawan is a town and desert valley in central Yemen
. Located in the Hadhramaut Governorate
, it is noted for its mud brick buildings.
on Belgian
tourists traveling in a convoy through the valley took place. A convoy of four jeeps carrying 15 tourists to Shibam
were ambushed by gunmen in a hidden pickup truck. Two Belgian women, Claudine Van Caillie, of Bruges
, 63, and Katrine Glorie, from East Flanders
, 54, as well as two Yemenis, a driver and a guide, were killed; another man was also heavily wounded, several others suffered minor wounds. The tourists were repatriated to Belgium on January 19, except the injured man, who remained in Sana'a
.
In the wake of the attack, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs
, Karel De Gucht
originally rejected that Al-Qaeda
might be responsible, explaining that although the possibility could be avoided, internecine disputes and latent islamism also to be taken into account. A number of arrests were made on January 21.
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. Located in the Hadhramaut Governorate
Hadhramaut Governorate
Hadhramaut or Hadramawt is a governorate of Yemen. Lying within the large historical region of Hadhramaut, it is the country's largest governorate.-Overview:...
, it is noted for its mud brick buildings.
Overview
On January 18, 2008, an ambush attack2008 attack on tourists in Yemen
The 2008 Yemen tourist attack was an ambush attack on Belgian tourists traveling in a convoy through Hadhramaut in the Wadi Dawan desert valley on January 18, 2008.-Details:...
on Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
tourists traveling in a convoy through the valley took place. A convoy of four jeeps carrying 15 tourists to Shibam
Shibam
Shibam is a town in Yemen with about 7,000 inhabitants. The first known inscription about the city dates from the 3rd century AD...
were ambushed by gunmen in a hidden pickup truck. Two Belgian women, Claudine Van Caillie, of Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, 63, and Katrine Glorie, from East Flanders
East Flanders
East Flanders is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands and in Belgium on the provinces of Antwerp, Flemish Brabant , of Hainaut and of West Flanders...
, 54, as well as two Yemenis, a driver and a guide, were killed; another man was also heavily wounded, several others suffered minor wounds. The tourists were repatriated to Belgium on January 19, except the injured man, who remained in Sana'a
Sana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
.
In the wake of the attack, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs
-1800s:-1900s:-2000s:...
, Karel De Gucht
Karel De Gucht
Karel Lodewijk Georgette Emmerence De Gucht is a Belgian politician who has been the European Commissioner for Trade since 2010...
originally rejected that Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
might be responsible, explaining that although the possibility could be avoided, internecine disputes and latent islamism also to be taken into account. A number of arrests were made on January 21.