An American citizen held hostage in northern Nigeria has been successfully rescued by the United States forces, CNN is reporting.

This was revealed in a statement by the Pentagon Spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, on Saturday.

Part of the statement reads, “U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of October 31 in Northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men.

“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. The United States will continue to protect our people and our interests anywhere in the world.”

The mission, which was several hours long, was conducted by the Navy’s elite SEAL Team 6 who were flown to the region by Air Force special operations, a US official with knowledge of the operation told CNN.

The US forces who conducted the mission killed six of the seven captors, the official said.

The US believes the captors have no known affiliation with any terror groups operating in the region, and were more likely bandits seeking money.

The State Department confirmed earlier this week that a US citizen had been abducted in Niger.