CATANIA, Sicily, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Two aid workers rescued by U.S. Special Forces after months of captivity in Somalia are resting at a U.S. base in Sicily, a military official said Friday.
American aid worker Jessica Buchanan and Danish counterpart Poul Hagen Thisted are going through "a post-captivity reintegration process" at the U.S. Naval Air Station at Sigonella near Catania, Sicily, base public affairs officer Lt. Tim Page said.
Buchanan, 32, and Thisted, 60, were rescued Wednesday by a Navy SEAL operation authorized by President Obama.
After arriving at the base Thursday, Buchanan and Thisted, who worked for the Danish Refugee Council when they were kidnapped Oct. 25 by Somali pirates, were debriefed before undergoing "medical tests and psychological evaluations," Page said.
When asked if the former captives would be joined by their families, Page declined to either confirm or deny, calling it"a private matter" and adding it is "extremely important" Buchanan and Thisted "have the chance to decompress from this event without the pressure of instant overwhelming public notoriety," The New York Times reported.
