US forces conducted a rescue operation of an American citizen held in northern Nigeria earlier Saturday, the Pentagon has 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,” Pentagon spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, announced in a statement.
“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.”
The State Department confirmed earlier this week that a US citizen had been abducted in Niger.
Local media outlets reported that the US citizen was a male missionary, but his identity has not been disclosed.
The governor of the local region where the abduction took place was quoted in various local media and by French media reporting from Niger as saying that six men on motorbikes armed with AK47s came to the man’s property in the village of Massalata, close to the border with Nigeria.
The governor, Abdourahamane Moussa, told these media outlets that after demanding money, the men took the American citizen with them in the direction of the Nigerian border.
The State Department spokesman said that “when a U.S. citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts, and we share information with families however we can.”