New info emerges on how 4 US, 5 Nigerien soldiers were killed in Niger ambush

A top United States General has provided new information on what transpired on October 4, when four American and five Nigerien soldiers were killed following an ambush in Niger.

The General, Joseph Dunford, disclosed that the US troops were returning to their operating base when the ambush plotted and executed by 50 ISIS fighters took place, leading to the killings.

Dunford, who is the Joint Chiefs Chairman of the operation, gave this timeline of the attack on Monday, adding that apart from the four American soldiers that were killed, two others were also wounded.

This revelation is coming as the details of the attack which took place on October 4, has remained a top talking point in America and the international community more than two weeks since.

Earlier last Friday, four administration officials, speaking on what transpired, had told CNN that one US soldier, Sgt. La David Johnson, was separated from his 12-member team when the ambush by 50 ISIS fighters occurred and that his lifeless body was found 48 hours later, nearly a mile away from the central scene of the ambush in Niger.

But speaking on the matter for which investigators were said to still be trying hard to ascertain its surrounding facts, Dunford, during an interview with CNN on Monday, explained that the US troops requested supplementary support about an hour after the firefight started.

He said, “It’s important to note when they didn’t ask for support for that first hour, my judgment would be that that unit thought they could handle the situation without additional support. And so well we’ll find out in the investigation exactly why it took an hour for them to call.”

On whether the US troops operated outside their orders at the time of the ambush, Dunford said there was no evidence to prove that.

“I don’t have any indication right now to believe or to know that they did anything other than operate within the orders that they were given,” he said, adding, “That’s what the investigation’s all about. So I think anyone that speculates about what special operations forces did or didn’t do is doing exactly that, they’re speculating.”

Dunford further said that the military will be investigating if the planned reconnaissance mission changed.

He said, “It was planned as a reconnaissance mission. What happened after they began to execute, in other words, did the mission change? That is one of the questions that’s being asked. It’s a fair question but I can’t tell you definitively the answer to that question. But, yes, we’ve seen the reports, we’ve seen the speculation.”

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Dunford went further to say that he could not confirm reports that Johnson was recovered nearly a mile away from the scene of the ambush, adding that such information would be provided as part of the probe.

“I think we owe the families and American people transparency”, he said.

The death of one soldier, Sergeant La David Johnson, whose body was said to have not been recovered for two days after the attack, has been the subject of further controversy. His widow, Myeshia Johnson, recently accused President Donald Trump of treating her with insensitivity during a condolence call.

 

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