THE United States Government has disclosed that its commitment to the safety of US citizens was a point that should be made clear hence it’s military swoop into Nigeria on Friday to rescue an American held hostage.
The US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, confirmed that the US military successfully rescued its citizen held captive in a border town between Nigeria and Niger Republic.
According to the statement the rescue was conducted Friday night by top military operatives after the force had gathered enough intelligence information.
Reports say six among seven of the abductors were killed by thy US forces.
The victim was held hostage by an undisclosed armed group believed to have a substantial affiliation within the northern part of the country and Niger.
“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 told the Cable News Network in a statement.
“The United State is committed to the safe return of all U.S citizens taken captive. We delivered on that commitment 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,” the statement reads in part.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Saturday praised the Seal officers who carried out the operation during his campaign in Pennsylvania.
The U.S embassy in Nigeria also tweeted acknowledging supports of the Nigerian Government “We thank the government of Nigeria for its partnership and support for this mission,”.
The Embassy hailed the military officers involved and later assured the rescued victim would be reunited with his family.
