« I take ownership of all the events connected to the ambush of 4 October. »
CBS Evening News/YouTube
Multiple failures of protocol were involved in the attack that killed four U. S. service members in Niger last October, reported a Pentagon investigation, which blamed the casualties on insufficient training and preparation for the mission as well as the team’s decision to pursue a high-level ISIS target without proper approval.
A summary of the report released Thursday details the need for improved mission planning and approval processes, in addition to a review of weapon requirements and training exercises with U. S.-allied forces, according to The Associated Press .
During a press conference at the Pentagon, Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, head of U. S. Africa Command, took responsibility for the mission in Niger.
“I take ownership of all the events connected to the ambush of 4 October,” he told reporters. “Again, the responsibility is mine.”
Following a directive from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Waldhauser said that progress has already been made to improve training and communication for troops in Niger and throughout Africa.
“We are now far more prudent on our missions,” he said.
The summary details the events that led up to a massive firefight with U. S. and Nigerian forces heavily outnumbered by enemies associated with the Islamic State .
Throughout the assault, the report describes moments of heroism as the soldiers risked their lives to rescue members of their team amid the firefight.
The summary explains that “individual, organizational, and institutional failures and deficiencies” are to blame for the tragedy, but it concludes that “no single failure or deficiency was the sole reason for the events of 4 October 2017.”
While the report has not fully been made public, Waldhauser said that three individuals could face consequences for lapses in training and communication that led to a “general lack of situational awareness and command oversight at every echelon.”
The report says that the Army Special Forces team didn’t have time to train together before they were deployed, and that they departed their camp to target an ISIS leader in the area after the team leader and his supervisor told their higher command that the mission was a less-risky trip to a village to meet with tribal leaders.
After they accomplished a series of smaller objectives requested by their commanders, the mission was aborted and the team returned to base, stopping in the village of Tongo along the way. After leaving the village, the team of 46 U. S. and Nigerian forces was ambushed by more than 100 ISIS-linked fighters.
The summary of the report did not determine whether the villagers of Tongo has assisted ISIS in the attack.
The U. S. soldier killed in the attack were Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Florida; Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Washington; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Georgia. Four Nigerian troops were also killed and several other U. S. and Nigerian soldiers were injured, reports The AP.
Arnold Wright, father of Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, expressed frustration over the account of the mission he received.
“The whole thing was a screwed-up mess,” he said, arguing that the senior commanders inappropriately passed blame down to lower-level officials, and contesting the implication from the briefing that the team leader “mischaracterized the mission” and is therefore partially responsible.
Pentagon officials said that none of the roughly 800 U. S. troops stationed in Niger are meant to engage in direct combat.
The report commends the fallen soldiers, and says they “gave their last full measure of devotion to our country and died with honor while actively engaging the enemy.”
Aaron Credeur is a News Fellow at IJR. He has written on a variety of national topics, including the 2016 presidential election, the state of liberal… more
