Report reaching our News desk says US forces on Saturday, rescued an American citizen taken hostage by armed men earlier, this week, in Niger.
A US official said the forces who conducted the mission also killed six of the seven captors.
He said they believe the captors have no known affiliation with any terror group operating in the region, and were more likely to be bandits looking for money.
The report also said the U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue operation to recover the American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men.
It added that the American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State, disclosing also that no U.S military personnel were injured during the operation.
Pentagon spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, in a statement, appreciated the support of their international partners in conducting the operation, assuring that the United States will continue to protect its people and interests anywhere in the world.
It was further gathered that the mission, which took several hours, was conducted by the Navy’s elite SEAL Team 6, who were flown to the region by Air Force special operations.
The State Department confirmed earlier, last week, that a US citizen had been abducted in Niger, by six men on motorbikes armed with AK-47s who came to the man’s property in the village of Massalata, close to the border with Nigeria.
The hostage, Philip Walton, described as the son of a missionary living in Niger.
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