US citizen, freed from kidnappers in a dramatic rescue operation by Navy SEALS.
Via his tweet on Saturday, Mr. President congratulated and appreciated the US soldiers for successfully rescuing an American citizen taken hostage last week in Nigeria.
The brave and daring night operation has strengthened the belief of natives that US forces will always assure the safe return of fellow Americans.
The operation was carried out by “SEAL Team 6”, which had earlier rescued Captain Richard Phillips and killed Osama Bin Laden.
According to Jonathan Hoffman, a Pentagon spokesman, the rescued citizen and all the forces involved in the operation are safe.
The Pentagon didn’t reveal the identity of the abducted citizen. The military operation was conducted in the early hours of Saturday, Oct 31. Six of the captors were killed after multiple fires, and one of them managed to escape.
The hostage, Philipe Nathon Walton, was 27 years old and was kidnapped from his farm on Tuesday morning. Walton is not hurt and is in care of special forces at the US ambassador’s residence in Niamey; he is also united with his family.
Walton was a farmer from a small village of Southern Nigeria, Massalata. He had a small mango farm near the border with Nigeria. He also looked after sheep, camel, and poultry. On Tuesday morning, six men armed with heavy weapons kidnapped Walton from his home.
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of $1 million before they left. The captors threaten the family to sell Walton to extremists if the demanded money is not paid timely. Walton has a daughter, wife, and brother in his family.
Nigeria, despite having the aid of French and US forces, continues to face security crises. The terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and Daish are accused of frequent attacks on civilians and the army.
According to an analysis, al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations have earned more than ten million dollars as ransom in the past few years. The US government criticizes all those who pay ransom to these organizations and strengthen their terrorist groups.
After the Libyan government’s collapse, the violent groups have gained a foothold, and Niger places have transformed into conflict zones. Nigeria has a population of about 24 million people. The military forces have partnered with French forces to combat terrorism in the western states of Africa.