![]() In a press conference approximately three weeks after the attack, General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained what DoD wanted to know: Senior leaders at DoD stated that the purpose of the investigation was to understand whether mistakes were made and to provide more details to the families of the fallen. LaDavid Johnson’s remains was delayed by 48 hours. forces were in harm’s way in Niger and wanted to know why the unit was so vulnerable in the case of an attack. media and some members of Congress conveyed surprise that U.S. Sergeant First Class (SFC) Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sergeant (SSG) Bryan Black, SSG Dustin Wright, and Sergeant (SGT) LaDavid Johnson were all killed in action during the engagement with militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). military since the Black Hawk Down incident in 1993, when 18 Army Rangers lost their lives. Q1: Why did DoD conduct this investigation?Ī1: The ambush marked the highest-casualty event in Africa for the U.S. forces were operating under, as well as the lessons DoD has derived from the events and the recommendations the investigation generated. Given the new information provided by DoD, the public has the opportunity to consider the risks U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) released a detailed video-graphic depiction of the ambush and an eight-page summary of a much longer classified report on the events leading up to, during, and immediately following the ambush. Army Green Berets and four Nigerien soldiers were killed in action during an ambush of a joint U.S.-Nigerien mission outside the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger. “Africa Command held a press briefing, that, for the most part, admonished one of my Green Beret teams for their pre-mission planning and preparation, but barely mentioned the decisions made above their level.On October 4, 2017, four U.S. “Senior leaders within Africa Command and First Special Forces Command presented their findings to the families of the fallen based on circumstantial evidence, which left them with more questions than answers," he added. “Following a complicated tragedy with no clear proximate cause, First Special Forces Command issued reprimands with inaccuracies and inconsistencies, focusing on predeployment training and personnel issues, instead of operational decisions made leading up to the ambush,” Van Saun wrote. ![]() Investigators determined he failed to prepare his soldiers for the deployment, “a conclusion tied to a training event that occurred prior to me even taking command of the organization,” he wrote. The investigation into the ambush ended Van Saun’s career with a formal reprimand. “And as a related item, we are saddened that the Army career of MAJ Alan Van Saun, the company commander over ODA 3212 at the time of the ambush and who was home on paternity leave, has apparently ended because of what we consider to be an undeserved reprimand related to the ambush," the family members’ statement adds. Wright returned and fought over the body of his comrade, according to his citation. They attempted to bound away when Johnson fell. Wright and Johnson continued to defend their position and their fallen comrade before Johnson was badly wounded. The three men acknowledged the order to move out and threw a smoke grenade to mask their cover, but Black was shot and killed as the truck began driving slowly forward. They returned fire before the decision was made to pull back and avoid being flanked. Jeremiah Johnson, Black and Wright were outside the same vehicle when the ambush started. Wright’s father said he was told that his son Dustin was put up for the Medal of Honor, but that it “was downgraded twice” before he received a posthumous Silver Star, according to ABC News.
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