Reports: Woman Rescued by Navy SEALS in Somalia Has Phoenixville Tie

The Associated Press is reporting that Jessica Buchanan, one of two aid workers rescued in Somalia, has a Phoenixville connection.

Buchanan, 32, graduated from Valley Forge Christian College on Charlestown Road in 2006. The AP spoke with the Rev. Dr. Don Meyer, president of VFCC, who said he is grateful to the Navy SEALS and those involved in the rescue operation.

He says she "fell in love with Africa" after doing a student teaching stint at Rossalyn Academy in Nairobi.

The 32-year-old Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted, a 60-year-old Dane, were rescued early Wednesday. They had been working with a de-mining unit when gunmen kidnapped them in October.

Meyer also spoke to CNN about Buchanan this morning. CNN reports that during an overnight raid in which nine gunmen were killed, Buchanan and Thisted were brought to safety. They were taken hostage in October while working on humanitarian projects with the Danish Refugee Council.

For more, see the AP story or a story on the raid from CNN.