A young man by the name of Philip Walton, who had been taken hostage in the West African country of Niger, must have felt overwhelming relief that he’s an American because in a daring, midnight raid, he was rescued by a group of the hardest men on earth — U.S. Navy Seal Team 6.
Fox News reported that in a daring raid, 27-year-old Walton was rescued by the elite military team in northern Nigeria, which borders the country of 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,” said Pentagon chief spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman.
“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,” he added.
President Donald Trump teased news of the successful mission in an early Saturday morning tweet.
Big win for our very elite U.S. Special Forces today. Details to follow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2020
“We appreciate the support of our international partners in conducting this operation,” Hoffman said. “The United States will continue to protect our people and our interests anywhere in the world.”
Though as of this writing any additional details surrounding the successful raid are scarce, there are numerous reports throughout social media that Walton was captured by an unknown group as recently as earlier this week. Because of that, many are praising the SEAL operators for pulling together a successful rescue mission in such a short amount of time.
Philip Walton was kidnapped 4 days ago. To plan and execute in that short of a time frame is amazing. No injuries to the good guys. God Bless America and SEAL Team 6! https://t.co/IP0JALX0Dp
— Bradley Podliska (@BradleyPodliska) October 31, 2020
