Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 11 May 2018

Military finds multiple failures led to deadly Niger ambush

By LOLITA C. BALDOR they stopped at the village
Associated Press of Tongo Tongo to get wa-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mul- ter.
tiple failures led up to the Soon after leaving Tongo
deadly Niger attack last Tongo, about 120 miles (200
October, but top military kilometers) north of Nia-
leaders said Thursday that mey, Niger’s capital, they
none directly caused the were ambushed by Islamic
overwhelming enemy am- State-linked militants car-
bush that killed four Ameri- rying small arms and ma-
can service members and chine guns.
sent others fighting and The report concludes that
running for their lives. although the enemy fight-
“The direct cause of the ers can move freely around
enemy attack in Tongo These images provided by the U.S. Army show, from left, Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, the village area, “there is
Tongo is that the enemy Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; Sgt. La David Johnson of Miami not enough evidence to
achieved tactical surprise Gardens, Fla.; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga. conclude that the villag-
there and our forces were Associated Press ers of Tongo Tongo willingly
outnumbered approxi- After months of silence dur- equipment and weapons dou Chefou, a leader of (without duress) aid and
mately three-to-one,” Maj. ing the investigation, Gen. requirements, and review the Islamic State group who support them. Addition-
Gen. Roger Cloutier Jr. told Thomas Waldhauser, head training that U.S. comman- was suspected of involve- ally, there is insufficient evi-
reporters during a Penta- of U.S. Africa Command, dos conduct with partner ment in the kidnapping of dence to determine if vil-
gon press conference. laid out the findings and forces. The summary lays an American aid worker. lagers aided the enemy or
He described a brutal, cha- took responsibility for what out a confusing chain of But the team leader and his participated in the attack.”
otic firefight, as 46 U.S. and happened. events that unfolded on immediate supervisor sub- Cloutier said it appears in-
Nigerien forces battled He said the report, which Oct. 3-4, ending in the am- mitted a different mission to surgents attempted to take
more than 100 enemy fight- has not yet been made bush, and points to “indi- their higher command, say- away the bodies of three of
ers. Amid the chaos, he public in full, singles out vidual, organizational, and ing they were simply going the killed American troops
said, there were repeated three individuals whose ac- institutional failures and de- out to meet tribal leaders. — Black, Wright and Jer-
acts of bravery as the out- tions could be faulted. He ficiencies that contributed Waldhauser called the emiah Johnson — but fled
numbered and outgunned did not name them. U.S. to the tragic events.” But it mischaracterization of the when French fighter jets
soldiers made split-second Special Operations Com- concludes that “no single mission unacceptable, buzzed the area. Two of
decisions under heavy fire, mand will make any dis- failure or deficiency was but Cloutier rejected sug- the bodies were found in
struggling to protect and cipline decisions, as well the sole reason” for what gestions the team leaders the bed of an enemy truck,
rescue each other during as recommendations on happened. lied. It’s not clear if those and another was beside it.
the more than hourlong as- awards for valor, Wald- It said the U.S. forces didn’t two are among the three The other American fatal-
sault. hauser said, adding he be- have time to train together service members he said ity, La David Johnson, and
Killed in the attack were: lieves there will be awards before they deployed and could face discipline. two Nigerien soldiers got
Army Sgt. La David T. John- for numerous acts of ex- did not do preparatory “It wasn’t a deliberate in- separated from the others
son, 25, of Miami Gardens, traordinary bravery by the battle drills with their Niger- tent to deceive,” Cloutier during the battle and were
Florida; Staff Sgt. Bryan troops. ien partners. And the report said. “It was lack of atten- gunned down. Johnson’s
C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, The investigation has al- said lax communication tion to detail.” body wasn’t found un-
Washington; Staff Sgt. Jer- ready triggered changes and poor attention to de- When the Ouallam team til two days later. All were
emiah W. Johnson, 39, of in the way military activities tails led to a “general lack got to the location the in- stripped of weapons and
Springboro, Ohio; and Staff are carried out in Niger and of situational awareness surgent wasn’t there. equipment.
Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of elsewhere in Africa, includ- and command oversight at Senior commanders, un- Families of the fallen have
Lyons, Georgia. Four Niger- ing giving teams the option every echelon.” aware of the team’s earlier expressed frustration with
ien troops were also killed, to use heavily armored ve- Robert Karem, the assistant actions, then ordered the the incident and the brief-
and two American soldiers hicles and beefed-up fire- defense secretary for in- troops to serve as backup ings they got.
and eight Nigerien forces power. ternational security affairs, for a second team’s raid, “The whole thing was a
were wounded. “We are now far more who also spoke, said there also targeting Chefou. That screwed-up mess,” said Ar-
The Americans who were prudent on our missions,” are about 800 U.S. troops mission was aborted when nold Wright, father of Staff
killed “gave their last full said Waldhauser, who sat in Niger, and that none are weather grounded the Sgt. Dustin Wright of Lyons,
measure of devotion to our alongside Cloutier, Africa supposed to be engaged second team. The Oual- Georgia, who was killed
country and died with hon- Command’s chief of staff in direct combat. Most are lam team members were in the attack. Wright said
or while actively engag- who led the investigation. involved in the construction then ordered to another he’s concerned the Army
ing the enemy,” the report A report summary released of a new air base there. location to collect intelli- may be pinning blame on
said. None were captured Thursday includes recom- According to the report, gence also linked to Che- lower-ranking soldiers and
alive by the enemy, and all mendations to improve mis- the Army Special Forces fou, which they did without not accepting responsibility
died immediately or quick- sion planning and approval team left Camp Ouallam problems. On their way high enough up the chain
ly from their wounds, it said. procedures, re-evaluate on Oct. 3 to go after Doun- back to their home base of command.q