U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue mission in northern Nigeria on Saturday, successfully freeing an American citizen, the Pentagon announced in a statement Saturday.
What they're saying: “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, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, said.
- "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.”
Big win for our very elite U.S. Special Forces today. Details to follow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2020
Last night, our Country’s brave warriors rescued an American hostage in Nigeria. Our Nation salutes the courageous soldiers behind the daring nighttime rescue operation and celebrates the safe return of yet another American citizen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2020
The big picture: Earlier this week armed kidnappers abducted a U.S. missionary in the West African nation of Niger and then transported him to Nigeria, where they demanded a ransom from the man’s father, according to AP. Nigeria has experienced a recent uptick in the number of attacks by extremist groups linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, per AP.
