US national kidnapped in southern Niger, sources say
Niger
An American citizen was kidnapped near the town of Birnin Konni in southern Niger in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
According to a Reuters report, the details of the kidnapping were not immediately clear, and no one had claimed responsibility on Tuesday morning.
Niger lies in the heart of the vast and impoverished Sahel, which is struggling with a jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes.
Birnin Konni is a few hundred miles to the east of that region, near the border with Nigeria.
Several westerners are currently hostage in the region.
They include American aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who was kidnapped in the central town of Abalak in October 2016 and is believed to have been taken to neighbouring Mali.
)
Shah Rukh Khan spends quality time with wife Gauri and children in London; videos go viral
)
India avoids higher US tariff, secures lower 10% rate. Here's how
)
Van rams into crowd at Berlin Pride event, one dead; suspect 'linked to Islamist circles'
)
'House raided, father picked up': UP man Mohd Junaid alleges crackdown after CJP protest; Police deny claims
)
Who is Abhijeet Dipke? Founder of Cockroach Janta Party leading NEET protests that triggered Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Russia-Ukraine war: Russia activates nuclear beast Admiral Nakhimov amid war
)
NEET Protests riddled with misinformation? Delhi Police blocks 480 Pakistan-based handles spreading 'fake news' since Operation Sindoor
)
Sam Heughan and KT Tunstall steal the show at Commonwealth Games 2026 opening ceremony
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why US fighter jets use seamless bubble canopies compared to Russian jets
)
'will work to the best of my ability', says Joshi on being made education minister
)
Hidden in British archives: Scientists decode 200-year-old Indian scroll that helped sailors cross one of the world's toughest seas
)
Was CJP not controlling the protest? What spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka told WION after Pradhan's resignation
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the S-400 fires its missiles straight up into the air
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Jennifer Winget and William Ishmael's dreamy UK intimate wedding: See inside photos
)
Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan's New York diaries! Couple's rare appearance goes viral
)
'Vox Populi': Kamal Haasan, Chinmayi, Pa Ranjith react to Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation
)
Why more than 75,000 people watched a record Qantas flight on Flightradar24 Friday?
)
Dharmendra Pradhan resignation: Expert explains BJP's next move & CJP protest impact
)
Another education minister resigned amid corruption row before Dharmendra Pradhan — but not in India
)
Did the government avert a larger agitation by conceding to CJP's demands? WION Decodes
)
Google ends Play Services Support, likely to stop these Android phones from downloading apps & games
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Finished Kay Kay Menon's Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya? Here are 5 binge-worthy Hindi OTT series to stream next
)
US says Turkey still barred from F-35 program until it gives up Russian S-400 system: Report
)
ChatGPT invoked God, told pastor not to worry about his symptoms. Then pulmonary embolism hit
)
He predicted COVID-19 and 2008 economic crisis, was labeled fearmonger. Now he has another dire warning
)
Reacher star Alan Ritchson slams US President Donald Trump over Epstein files; White House fires back
The president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, said in September last year that he had information that Woodke was alive and in good health.
Three Europeans, including 75-year-old French NGO worker Sophie Petronin, were released by their captors in Mali earlier this month under a prisoner swap arranged by the Malian government.
(with inputs)