ISIS video shows attack on soldiers
Macabre clip is from Oct. ambush on 3 U.S. soldiers in Niger.
The Islamic State just released a video that allegedly shows three U.S. soldiers being attacked in Niger.
The video, which has been circulating for months among journalists, reportedly shows three soldiers on the run from militants. The men have few resources to fend off dozens of militants armed with machine guns and grenades.
The scene comes from an October 4, 2017, attack on U.S. troops near the Niger-Mali border. A team of 12 U.S. soldiers had been sent on a mission with a team of Nigerians. (The Pentagon has declined to explain their assignment; U.S. officials previously told reporters that the patrol had been asked to help a team hunting for a senior Islamic State member.)
On their way back, they stopped at a village for food and water. U.S. military officials think a villager may have alerted militants that U.S. commandos were near, setting off an ambush. Four U.S. soldiers were killed in the firefight. The remains of three soldiers were found the day of the attack. The fourth, La David T. Johnson, was found several days later, prompting questions about how he’d died and whether he’d been captured alive or killed at close range.
Months later, a group affiliated with the Islamic State claimed credit for the attack, confirming a suspicion of U.S. officials. Over the weekend, the group released a video via Telegram and to a Mauritanian news outlet that captures three soldiers fighting for their lives.
The nine-minute clip opens with a pledge of allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by members of Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, a terrorist group made up of West African jihadist groups.
The video then cuts to footage of several armed militants running in a desert area.
Next, it shows three U.S. soldiers, allegedly filmed by a camera on one of the soldier’s helmets. In the clip, the soldiers are clearly outgunned and overwhelmed. One is slowly driving an unarmed SUV, ducking because the vehicle is under fire. Two others are walking behind, firing their weapons at attackers.
Then, one of the Americans drops. The two other soldiers try to pull him to safety, then flee into the scrub. Finally, the soldier wearing the camera on his helmet falls to the ground. The last shot shows militants surrounding him and firing at him at point-blank range.
The Pentagon says the video shows the Islamic State’s “depravity.” They are reviewing the incident and are expected to release a thorough report on what happened, and lessons learned.
The United States has about 800 troops in Niger to help train local forces and fight terrorism. October’s events have led to questions from Congress and others about why the United States has soldiers deployed in Niger, and whether they’re safe.
“Knowing that they were asked to try to complete and execute this type of mission with that type of equipment, I just - I could not believe it,” Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, told CBS. “Why they were asked to continue to go onto this mission I think is something that we all need to find out.”