Unknown to most in the Capital and a nation watching on television, a team of US Navy Seals – the same Special Forces group that had killed Osama bin Laden last spring – had attacked a Somali pirate hideout, freeing two aid workers held hostage three months ago.

25 by a band of Somalis while on their way to the airport in Galcayo,  located in central Somalia.

Jessica Buchanan, an American citizen employed by the Danish Demining Group, and her Danish colleague, Mr Poul Thisted, were kidnapped at gunpoint by criminal suspects near Galcayo, Somalia.

Last night US Special Operations Forces conducted, by order of the President of the United States, a successful mission in Somalia to rescue two individuals taken hostage on October 25, 2011.

Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces, yesterday Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home.

As Commander-in-Chief, we could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts," Obama said in the statement.

President Barack Obama authorized the mission by SEAL Team 6 two days earlier, and minutes after he gave his State of the Union address to Congress he was on the phone with the American’s father to tell him his daughter was safe.

Last night we spoke with Jessica Buchanan’s father and told him that all Americans have Jessica in our thoughts and prayers, and give thanks that she will soon be reunited with her family.

The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice.

As of 2009, it was the poorest county in the state of Virginia and one of the 100 poorest counties in the United States, when ranked by median household income.

As President Barack Obama entered the House chambers last night for his State of the Union address, he pointed to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the crowd and said cryptically, “Leon. Good job tonight. Good job tonight.”.

Buchanan and Mr Thisted were not harmed during the operation.

This mission demonstrates our militarys commitment to the safety of our fellow citizens wherever they may be around the world.

This was a team effort and required close coordination, especially between the Department of Defense and our colleagues in the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Panetta said.On NBC’s “Today,” Vice President Joe Biden said the US decided to move after determining that Buchanan’s health “was beginning to decline.

The Danish Refugee Council confirmed the two aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted, a Dane, were “on their way to be reunited with their families.

Local time as team of Navy SEALs parachuted into the area near the desert encampment where the two aid workers were being held, a US official said.

The aid workers were thought to be held by a well-established gang, and negotiations to free Westerners have been known to drag on.

  US Africa Command said in a statement that the raid took place in the vicinity of Gadaado, Somalia.

   US Africa Command said that the nine  Somali captors were all  killed in the firefight.

Somali reports said nine Somali captors were killed in a fierce firefight.

After freeing Buchanan and Thisted, the military team and the aid workers left the area via helicopter and were taken to Camp Lemonier, the US military base in neighboring Djibouti.

Another US official says that the rescue mission was prompted by a long-standing  medical condition that had worsened during Buchanans captivity and "it was at a point where it became life-threatening.

Christiane Ruston is a business journalist based in Barcelona, Spain. Christiane has a passion for financial markets and breaking news stories and loves writing about business news, stock market, and economic opinions that matters most to its audience. Christiane spends a lot of time discovering and researching latest financial markets and industry news stories in order to make sure the latest and greatest stories are brought to you first on BigBoardNews.com.