Pentagon identifies fourth U.S. soldier slain in Niger ambush

The Pentagon on Saturday identified a U.S. Special Forces soldier killed alongside three other Americans and four Nigerien troops during a surprise attack earlier this week near Niger’s border with Mali.

Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, was missing for two days before his body was recovered Friday, officials said. He died Wednesday from wounds “sustained during enemy contact” when the small group of U.S. and Nigerien troops was ambushed by dozens of heavily armed militants riding in pickup trucks. They were conducting a reconnaissance patrol at the time, according to the Pentagon.

It remains unclear how Johnson, of Miami Gardens, Fla., became separated from other U.S. troops on the patrol or if he had fallen into enemy hands. Officials said Saturday that the incident is under investigation.

On Friday, U.S. officials identified three of the fallen soldiers as Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga. Along with Johnson, all four were assigned to the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group, which is based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and serves as the U.S. military’s primary unconventional-warfare unit operating in Africa.

Four Nigerien troops were killed and two other U.S. troops were wounded in the battle, but their names have not been disclosed. Officials said this week that the Americans were evacuated and in stable condition at a U.S. military hospital in Germany.

The French military, which also maintains a presence in the region, scrambled Mirage fighter jets in response to the attack, presumably to search for Johnson and provide support for those under threat on the ground.

The White House on Friday said President Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the situation in Niger. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders demurred when asked whether the administration intends to avenge the troops’ deaths.

“Obviously,” she replied, “any time one of the members of our great military are injured, wounded or killed in action, that is something we take very seriously. . . . We’re continuing to review and look into this,” she added, noting that White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, a retired general whose Marine son was killed in combat, had kept President Trump apprised of efforts to locate the missing service member.

Officials have said the attack occurred during an “advise and assist” mission, a broad term that critics say downplays the danger associated with training partner nations using only small numbers of troops near militant strongholds.

U.S. forces have expanded efforts in Niger, military officials have said, as part of a growing presence in the Sahel region. The vast expanse of desert stretches across the continent, and affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have taken advantage of instability in Libya, where arms and fighters flow into a region difficult to govern.

About 800 U.S. personnel are assigned to posts in Niger, mostly at two sites focused on gathering aerial reconnaissance for Nigerien forces. That is an increase from 645 in June. About 300 to the south in Cameroon provide logistical and intelligence support. An unknown but probably small number operate in Mali.

The four combat deaths mark the first known hostile-fire casualties among U.S. forces in Niger. A soldier with the 3rd Special Forces Group was killed in a vehicle accident there in February.

Source : Link