How US Forces Rescue Of American Hostage in Nigeria, Would Be The Next Hollywood Blockbuster Out Of Africa
The Oasis Reporters
October 31, 2020
Greed has just led a group of bandits straddling between Niger Republic and northern Nigeria to their early graves.
The United States military has conducted a hostage rescue operation in Northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen, Philip Walton, held captive by a group of armed men since October 26 in Niger Republic and moved across the border to Nigeria, says a statement from the US Department of State quoting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Saturday.
“Pompeo commended the ‘extraordinary courage and capabilities of our military’, adding that the US was committed to the safe return of all its citizens taken captive and would never abandon any American taken hostage”.
The statement read: “The United States is committed to the safe return of all U.S. citizens taken captive. We delivered on that commitment late 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.
‘Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our military, the support of our intelligence professionals, and our diplomatic efforts, the hostage will be reunited with his family. We will never abandon any American taken hostage.”
The bandits probably misunderstood the swelling anger in America over the activities of bandits in Northern Nigeria who are often pampered with huge ransoms in millions of dollars to free a few kidnapped school girls and sell the rest as sex slaves.
Philip Walton had offered them $40, yet they refused to let him alone.
According to ABC News, the operation involved the governments of the U.S., Niger and Nigeria working together to rescue him quickly.
It said the elite SEAL Team Six carried out the rescue mission and killed all but one of the captors, according to officials with direct knowledge about the operation.
“They were all dead before they knew what happened,” another counterterrorism source with knowledge told ABC News.
The Pentagon lauded the rescue mission in a statement.
“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.
“We appreciate the support of our international partners in conducting this operation.”
U.S. and Nigerien officials had said that Walton was kidnapped from his backyard last Monday after assailants asked him for money.
But he only offered $40 and was then taken away by force, according to sources in Niger.
Walton lives with his wife and young daughter on a farm near Massalata, a small village close to the border with Nigeria.
Nigerien and American officials told ABC News that they believed the captors were from an armed group from Nigeria and that it was not considered terror-related even though hostages are often sold to terror groups.
Concern grew quickly after the kidnapping that an opportunity to rescue Walton could become much more dangerous if he was taken by or sold to a group of Islamist militants aligned with either al Qaeda or ISIS and American special operations commanders felt they needed to act swiftly before that could occur, said one counterterrorism official briefed on the hostage recovery operations.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed after the kidnapping that an American citizen had been abducted in Niger and said the U.S. Government was “providing their family all possible consular assistance.”
The spokesperson declined to comment on the case, citing “privacy considerations,” but added, “When a U.S. citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts and we share information with families however we can.”
“The privacy concern” mentioned has made it obligatory that beyond necessary information is not divulged to the public, or else aspiring movie makers in Nollywood do not jump America’s Hollywood in coming out with a blockbuster movie on the super capabilities of the American military who are so professionally inclined, they would never come out to kill unarmed civil protesters while bandits collect huge ransoms before freeing hostages.
Within a few months of the swearing in of then US President Barack Obama, troublesome Somali pirates had stormed a US vessel of the country’s coast and took a certain Captain Philips hostage. They were hoping to collect a huge ransom in several millions of dollars. America was revolted, so a military raid that involved the Navy, US Seals, Airforce etc planned a caper under the approval of President Obama which not only freed Captain Philips but killed all the pirates except one, who was then taken to a US prison and made to stand trial.
The movie is titled Captain Philips. This is yet another Philip, and all hostage takers killed, except one. Northern Nigerian bandits and Islamists may well begin to learn how to avoid taking Americans hostage. It could either be a death sentence or prison term, for Americans do not pamper, neither do they pay ransom to bandits.
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