Anthony Iwuoma
The Special Forces of the United States, popularly called SEAL Team Six, on Saturday, successfully rescued an American citizen held hostage in Nigeria.
The 27-year-old captive, Philip Walton, was reportedly kidnapped in Niger Republic by some armed men before bei g brought to a town in northern Nigeria and held hostage.
According to the UK Sun, Walton’s kidnappers had called his dad and demanded a ransom from him.
However, the the SEAL 6 team in the early hours of Satuy, did not only rescue the man from his kidnappers, but also killed six bandits.
Jonathan Hoffman, Pentagon spokesman, in a statement said: “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.
“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. The United States will continue to protect our people and our interests anywhere in the world,” he said.
President Donald Trump, in a tweet on Saturday, lauded Walton’s rescue as a “big win for our very elite U.S. Special Forces”.
According to the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who commended the special forces for their gallantry: “The United States is committed to the safe return of all U.S. citizens taken captive. We delivered on that commitment late last night in Nigeria, where some of our bravest and most skilled warriors rescued a U.S. citizen after a group of armed men took him hostage across the border in Niger.”
