U.S. citizen dies in battle-torn Yemen

Mike James | USA TODAY

A Virginia man has died in war-torn Yemen, the State Department confirmed Monday.

"We can confirm that U.S. citizen John Hamen died in Yemen," State Department spokesman John Kirby told USA TODAY. "We express our deepest condolences to his family and friends. State Department officials provided all possible consular assistance to the family. Out of respect for the privacy of Mr. Hamen's family, we do not have any additional details to provide."

Details surrounding Hamen's death are sketchy. CBS News reported last week that two unnamed contractors were "detained" at the airport in the Yemen capital city of Sanaa, which is controlled by Shiite Houthi rebels. The United Nations is in the midst of trying to broker peace talks between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Houthi rebels.

Saudi air attacks on the rebels have led to an unstable situation in Yemen and many civilians have died.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told CBS that she could not confirm the contractors' nationality but said they arrived on a U.N. aircraft from Djibouti on Oct. 20 and were detained by "the authorities at the airport in Sanaa."

He said the two "are not U.N. contractors" but work for the company that manages the facilities that the U.N. is using in Sanaa, CBS reported.

Hamen's LinkedIn professional page lists his occupation as "Diplomatic Support" and described his previous employers as the U.S. Special Operations Command, the U.S. Army, and the Joint Communications Support Element.

Hamen, of Chesapeake, Va., was remembered on his Facebook page as a father of seven and "the best Dad ever."

Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook