San Leandro Man Mourns Loss of Cousin Lost in Yemen as Friend Returns

As he mourns the loss of a cousin killed by mortar fire in Yemen last week, San Leandro resident Mohammed Alazzani is preparing to welcome a friend home from the war-torn country. Alazzani’s cousin, Jamal al-Labani, and his friend, Mokhtar Alkhanshali, were two of hundreds of U.S. citizens who became trapped in Yemen where the U.S. suspended embassy operations in February.

The State Department has been criticized for not facilitating the evacuation of U.S. citizens as the unrest continues. U.S. citizens have been advised to leave the country any way they can. Despite the evacuation of U.S. diplomats and lack of embassy support, Alkhanshali was scheduled to land in San Francisco late Tuesday morning, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Alazzani said he planned to call his friend later on Tuesday. Alkhanshali travels to Yemen frequently to assist coffee farmers there through his Oakland-based company, Mocha Mill. In an effort to help bring Yemeni farmers out of poverty, Alkhanshali has been traveling the country helping them improve their product to break into specialty coffee markets, according to Mocha Mill’s website. But while Alkhanshali eventually managed to get out safely, Alazzani’s cousin was not so lucky.

Al-Labani, a gas station manager who has lived in Oakland for the last 15 years, had traveled to Yemen in the hopes of bringing his wife and young daughter back with him. He married his current wife about five years ago, Alazzani said, and the two gave birth to a daughter in 2012. About four months ago, al-Labani managed to get a U.S. passport for his daughter and headed back to Yemen, excited for the opportunity to return with his family. But quickly after he arrived the war intensified and al-Labani was stranded in the country. He mainly stayed indoors as fighting raged outside, but last Tuesday he was walking home from a nearby mosque with his 13-year-old nephew when he was struck by mortar fire, Alazzani said. Both al-Labani and his nephew lay on the ground still breathing for a few minutes after the attack, but did not survive, Alazzani said.

Al-Labani was buried in Yemen within a day or two of the attack in a small service with only close friends and family. His friends and family in the East Bay held a memorial for him on Saturday. Alazzani described al-Labani as a quiet but generous man who rarely discussed his own problems but was quick to offer assistance to friends and family. He didn’t talk a lot, but when friends got into trouble, “He’ll always be a backup,” Alazzani said.

A protective man, he didn’t like to see those close to him with problems, and always tried to help them as much as possible. Al-Labani also had family in Fresno, where his ex-wife lives with their two children, ages 16 and 13. Alazzani expressed frustration over his cousin’s death because while other countries have made efforts to evacuate their citizens from Yemen, the U.S. has done little.

“The sad part is that the government here didn’t do anything to evacuate their people,” Alazzani said. Last Wednesday, the State Department issued a statement urging U.S. citizens to leave Yemen immediately but advising that they can expect no assistance from the embassy. In response, a statement was issued by civil rights groups the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus demanding assistance from the U.S. government.

“U.S. citizens are stranded and face daily threat to their life and safety,” the statement read. “Americans are trapped in Yemen with no realistic means to get out of Yemen without assistance from the U.S. government. The airports and ports are under siege, Saudi Arabia instituted a no-fly zone over Yemen, and there is no feasible safe passage to neighboring countries.”

However, hundreds of U.S. citizens have reported they remain trapped in the country. The organizations are tracking them online at http://www.stuckinyemen.com.

By Bay City News

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