An American man who was held hostage in West Africa has been released after more than six years in captivity, the White House said Monday.
Jeff Woodke, a Christian aid worker who was kidnapped, was held by a network that operates in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Biden administration did not pay a ransom or make any concessions, according to the official.
Woodke’s wife, Els Woodke, said he was transferred from captivity by Islamic State militants in Mali to an al-Qaida affiliate, the Washington Post reported in 2021.
