An American, who was kidnapped in Niger and moved to Nigeria, was on Saturday rescued by U.S. SEAL Team 6, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The elite SEAL Team 6 staged what officials described as a daring raid in Nigeria to rescue Phillip Walton, 27.
Walton was kidnapped in Niger, which borders Nigeria, earlier this week.
“U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of 31 October in Northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men,” Jonathan Hoffman, chief Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.
“This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation.”
“We appreciate the support of our international partners in conducting this operation,” Hoffman added. “The United States will continue to protect our people and our interests anywhere in the world.”
Reports quoted American officials as saying that The SEALs rescued Walton after ‘killing a number of his captors’, adding that SEAL Team 6 was chosen for the operation because they are responsible for West Africa where Nigeria is located.
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.