The Pentagon confirmed that it launched a successful operation early Saturday to free Philip Walton, 27, an American hostage held in northern Nigeria.

White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump and the National Counterterrorism Center confirmed the hostage's identity on Twitter.

“U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of 31 October 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,” said Jonathan Hoffman, assistant to the secretary of Defense for public affairs.

“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,” he added.

Ivanka Trump lauded those involved in the mission, tweeting, "We will NEVER abandon any American taken hostage!"

The State Department said on Tuesday that a U.S. citizen was kidnapped in Niger in an area near the Nigeria border where al Qaeda-linked militants and the Islamic State's Boko Haram are known to operate.

According to ABC News:

The operation involved the governments of the U.S., Niger and Nigeria working together to rescue Walton quickly, sources said. The elite SEAL Team Six carried out the rescue mission and killed all but one of the captors, according to officials with direct knowledge about the operation.

U.S. and Nigerien officials had said that Walton was kidnapped from his backyard last Monday after assailants asked him for money. But he only offered $40 and was then taken away by force, according to sources in Niger.

Walton lives with his wife and young daughter on a farm near Massalata, a small village close to the border with Nigeria.