U. S. citizen is rescued in military operation

WASHINGTON >> An American citizen kidnapped in the West African nation of Niger this past week has been rescued in a U.S. military operation in neighboring Nigeria, U. S. officials said Saturday.

The man was taken from his farm in Massalata in southern Niger early Tuesday morning by armed kidnappers who demanded a ransom from the man’s father. He was identified earlier in the week by a local government official as Philipe Nathan Walton, though other officials and news reports cited slightly different spellings of the man’s first name, including Phillipe and Philip. The Defense Department confirmed the operation Saturday, saying it took place in northern Nigeria.

“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,” the department said in a statement.

SEAL Team 6, along with other members of a joint special operations force, conducted the rescue, according to U. S. officials with knowledge of the operation.

The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss the operation and spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details.

President Dona ld Trump said in a tweet that “courageous soldiers” had pulled off a “daring nighttime rescue operation” and also told reporters that “it was something that had to get done because they were playing with American citizens.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the rescue by “some of our bravest and most skilled warriors” underscores the U.S. commitment “to the safe return of all U. S. citizens taken captive.”

Niger has faced a growing number of attacks by extremists linked to both Islamic State and to alQaida. The kidnapping comes two months after IS-linked militants killed six French aid workers and their Niger guide while they were visiting a wildlife park east of the capital.

A U.S. official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the rescue before an official announcement and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there were no solid indications that Walton’s kidnapping was terrorism-related and that it was instead “trending toward a kidnapping for ransom.”

But the official said the U.S. government was concerned that the hostage could be passed to another terrorist group, or that the kidnapping could become a prolonged hostage taking.

Walton is now back in Niger.