Trump: why I refused to pay ransom to Nigerian kidnappers (video)
US President Donald Trump explains why he refused to pay the ransom to the terrorist who kidnapped an American in Nigeria. Instead, he sent seals to rescue an American hostage in Nigeria.
We brought our young man back. ” Bailout in Nigeria gives Trump a belated foreign policy victory.
The Pentagon said Saturday that the American hostage is safe and in the care of the US State Department after a successful morning rescue operation by US Special Forces in northern Nigeria.
The hostage, Philip Nathan Walton, was abducted by armed kidnappers in southern Niger on Tuesday this week; his captors allegedly demanded a ransom of more than $ 1 million for his freedom. Walton, 27, was rescued by members of the 6 Elite Seal Team, according to the Washington Post.
No American soldiers were hurt during the rescue operations, and the New York Times reports that all but one of the kidnappers were killed.
President Donald Trump also celebrated Walton’s return and used the bailout to solidify his foreign policy reputation at Saturday’s campaign rally in Newton, Pennsylvania.
“We got our boyfriend back, but the other side was hit hard, I can tell you,” Trump said. “We brought many hostages home. And I pay nothing, nothing. I cannot pay. After payment, you will have a lot more. “
Return of Americans Trapped Abroad Is a Bright Spot in Trump’s Foreign Policy
Watson is not the only American kidnapped in West Africa in recent years; At least one other American, humanitarian worker Jeffrey Woodk, is believed to be still in Mali after being kidnapped in central Niger in 2016. But the United States has successfully returned a number of hostages under the Trump administration, including in Yemen and North Korea.
These successes – like Walton’s successful rescue of special forces in Nigeria – are precisely the kind of foreign policy victories Trump likes to highlight. His current national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, was the U.S. special envoy on hostage affairs until 2019, and in August the Republican National Convention singled out six Americans who were previously held hostage. abroad in conversation with Trump.
Vox News
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