{"id":44825,"date":"2026-08-14T17:44:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T12:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44825"},"modified":"2026-08-14T17:44:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T12:44:39","slug":"u-s-missionary-who-was-kidnapped-in-niger-is-released-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44825","title":{"rendered":"U.S. missionary who was kidnapped in Niger is released : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-138740\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 2140;&#10;        --source-height: 1427;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1427+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1427+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1427+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1427+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1427+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1427+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1427+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1427+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 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30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1427+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1427+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"FILE - Motorcyclist ride along a street in Niamey, Niger, Thursday, June 18, 2026.\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                FILE &#8211; Motorcyclist ride along a street in Niamey, Niger, Thursday, June 18, 2026.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    AP Photo\/AP<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><br \/>\n              <svg class=\"icon icon--info\"><use href=\"#icon-info\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n              <b>toggle caption<\/b><br \/>\n            <\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        AP Photo\/AP<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A U.S. missionary who was kidnapped in Niger in October 2025 has been released, the Christian NGO he works for announced on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Kevin Rideout &#8220;is in good health in the care of US officials,&#8221; SIM International said in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sim.org\/stories\/kevin-rideout-release\/\" target=\"_blank\"><u>a statement<\/u><\/a>, adding he would soon be reunited with his family.<\/p>\n<p>Details of how and where Rideout was released were not given. The U.S. State Department has not yet confirmed his release.<\/p>\n<p>Rideout was kidnapped on October 21 in Niamey, the capital of Niger, a junta-ruled nation long plagued by insecurity.<\/p>\n<p>While no group claimed responsibility for the abduction, a number of jihadist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization operate in the West African country.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The country has become increasingly anti-Western since the 2023 military coup that overthrew the democratically-elected government.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, at the request of the junta, the U.S. completed a withdrawal of hundreds of troops from an airbase in the country, which had been used to support counterterrorism operations.<\/p>\n<p>However, this year the U.S. government <a href=\"https:\/\/ne.usembassy.gov\/united-states-strengthens-nigers-security-with-delivery-of-military-equipment\/\" target=\"_blank\"><u>announced<\/u><\/a> it had donated $2.3 million in military equipment to Niger after &#8220;both sides reaffirmed a shared commitment to security cooperation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This assistance reflects our shared interest in countering terrorism, combating kidnapping for ransom, disrupting criminal networks, and strengthening regional security,&#8221; a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Niger said in May.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It advances United States national security interests by helping a partner in the Sahel defend its territory, secure its borders, and reduce threats that can affect our respective nations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FILE &#8211; Motorcyclist ride along a street in Niamey, Niger, Thursday, June 18, 2026. AP Photo\/AP hide caption toggle caption AP Photo\/AP A U.S. missionary who was kidnapped in Niger in October 2025 has been released, the Christian NGO he works for announced on Friday. Kevin Rideout &#8220;is in good health in the care of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2140x1204+0+112\/resize\/1400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F7d%2F19a4382b4c6ea2a03acb2a7d4427%2Fap26226304580288.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44825\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}