An American missionary, Kevin Rideout, kidnapped in Niger in October and held by a Daesh affiliate, is now free after what sources describe as either a brokered ransom deal or a daring military raid, depending on which faction you ask.
Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar's eastern forces reportedly escorted Rideout to freedom, with four of five sources telling Reuters a deal was struck and one specifying a ransom was paid. A senior Haftar-aligned source instead claimed an elite commando raid pulled Rideout out of Mali and flew him to Benghazi.
The State Department declined to comment, the White House didn't respond, and Trump simply posted that the U.S. looks forward to welcoming Rideout home. The Trump administration had already lifted sanctions on Malian officials this year to secure overflight access while hunting for him.
The full dispatch is available from the source below.