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“Great victory for our elite US special forces today,” wrote US President Donald Trump on Twitter.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News that the Trump administration had rescued 55 hostages in 24 countries over the years.
The Pentagon confirmed the operation but did not provide the identity of the hostage.
Walton, who raised camels, sheep and poultry and grew mangoes near the Nigerian border, was abducted by six men armed with AK-47 assault rifles who arrived on motorcycles at his home in the southern village of Massalata. Niger, early Tuesday morning.
His wife, young daughter and brother were left behind.
Reuters has reported that the perpetrators appeared to be from the Fulani ethnic group and spoke Hausa and some English. They demanded money and searched the family home before leaving with Walton.
Niger, like much of the West African Sahel region, faces a deepening security crisis as groups with ties to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State carry out attacks against the military and civilians, despite of the aid of French and American forces.
Four American soldiers were killed in an ambush in Niger in 2017, sparking a debate about the United States’ role in the sparsely populated desert of West Africa that is home to some of the poorest countries in the world.
At least six foreign hostages are being held by Islamist insurgents in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Islamists have raised millions of dollars in ransom payments in recent years.
The United States government has frequently criticized other countries for paying.
