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Blow By Blow Account Of How US Troops Stealthily Entered North Nigeria, Rescued An American Kidnap Victim


The Oasis Reporters



November 2, 2020



US President Donald Trump quickly saw an opportunity in a swift military raid in Nigeria, less than five days to a crucial presidential that would boost his standing before a growing and significant US-Nigerian population, when the Pentagon informed him that a 27 year old American, Philipe Nathan Walton, had been held hostage in Nigeria by an islamist militant group.




The hostage, Philipe Nathan Walton, 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.

Then they moved him across the border to Nigeria.


Niger and Nigeria share a long border. More than three-fourths of Niger, which is north of Nigeria, is covered by the Sahara Desert, and the Sahel, a region of dry grasslands and savannas that extends across Africa just south of the desert, has become a hotbed of Islamic militants. Niger and northern Nigeria are both predominantly Muslim.

Recalling the long and tortuous difficulties the US had had with islamist militants and kidnappers, Trump felt that the time to be swift and decisive was now. He knew that giving Nigerian militants a bloody nose would raise his standing amongst Nigerian Americans before the election, especially after accusing the Nigerian government of killing Christians.


In addition, the mission was undertaken by elite commandos as part of a major effort to free Walton, 27, before his abductors could get far after taking him captive in Niger on Oct. 26, counterterrorism officials told ABC News.


Niger has faced a growing number of attacks by extremists linked to both the Islamic State group and to al-Qaeda. 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.


On Oct. 4, 2017, militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara ambushed Nigerien and U.S. soldiers outside the village of Tongo Tongo. Four Green Berets and five Nigeriens were killed and eight Nigeriens and two U.S. soldiers, including the team commander, were wounded.


They planned and organised this mission from over 6,000km away in the Pentagon.

The US military deployed drones from their base in Niger to give them constant surveillance and communication hook up to their satellites way up in the Sky.

Had their aircraft carrier on the gulf of Guinea with Jets ready to be scrambled to give air cover in case the target area gets swamped by tangos.

They then flew their star boys all the way from the US military base in Germany onboard the USAF Globemaster from where they parachuted from 25,000ft down to a location less than 3miles to the location where they hooked up with local assets who had provided transportation closer to the main location.


Meanwhile back at the US Drone base in Niger, Delta Force team were on standby with 4 Blackhawks and two gunships waiting for the go.


Their job was to pick up the team and the rescued hostage at a designated pickup point 5 clicks from the target location and if the mission goes wrong act as back up forces to the seal team with the reaper drone coming in hot on any advancing enemy tangos .
Then the Seal Team makes it to location, going in clean without hiccups.

Secures hostage and calls in Big Eagle.
Team makes it down to pick up point and in less than 1 minute Ranger pickups arrive and we have birds in the sky.

Mission accomplished. .

Philip Walton 27, was successfully rescued and six of the seven kidnappers killed. Yes, it took place inside the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.



Meanwhile the government and people of Nigeria were sleeping. Apart from the Seals logistics team, no one else knew. The news took everyone by surprise in Nigeria.

Credits:
Military Times
ABC News
CNN
Pentagon

Greg Abolo

Blogger at The Oasis Reporters.

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