These images provided by the U.S. Army show Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson; Sgt. La David Johnson; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, who were killed by militants believed linked to ISIS. U.S. Army
Time: Deadly U.S. Mission in Niger Lacked Proper Approval, Military Probe Finds
(WASHINGTON) — A military investigation into the Niger attack that killed four American service members concludes the team didn’t get required senior command approval for their risky mission to capture a high-level Islamic State militant, several U.S. officials familiar with the report said. It doesn’t point to that failure as a cause of the deadly ambush.
Initial information suggested the Army Special Forces team set out on its October mission to meet local Nigerien leaders, only to be redirected to assist a second unit hunting for Doundou Chefou, a militant suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of an American aid worker. Officials say it now appears the team went after Chefou from the onset, without outlining that intent to higher-level commanders.
Read more ....
Previous Post: ISIS Releases Propaganda Video That Shows U.S. Soldiers Under Attack In Niger (March 5, 2018).
WNU Editor: I am sure that the investigation behind this incident is being conducted in thorough a thorough and professional manner .... and with hindsight they will determine what went wrong and make their recommendations. But who could have predicted that 4 special forces soldiers backed with a large number of African soldiers would be caught in an ambush that would wipe them out. It seems to me that this was the wrong mission, with the wrong intelligence, being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. As for those who killed these U.S. soldiers, the hunt continues .... US focusing on Mali in hunt for Niger ambush attackers (CNN).
