US forces on Saturday carried out a rescue operation in northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen being held by armed men, the Pentagon said.
The State Department had earlier this week confirmed the abduction of the US citizen from his home on the edge of a rural village in neighboring southern Niger by six gunmen riding and armed with AK-47 assaults.
Pentagon said in a statement “This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the US Department of State,”
“that no military personnel were injured in the operation,” Pentagon added
“We appreciate the support of our international partners in conducting this operation. The United States will continue to protect our people and our interests anywhere in the world.” As contained in the statement.
While the Pentagon did not provide the American citizen’s identity, Reuters quoted a US official to have said, it was 27-year-old Philip Walton, who was kidnapped earlier in the week, and the raid included Navy SEALs.
