Pentagon: Snafus led to Niger slays

A WIDE RANGE of military issues led to the deaths of four American Special Forces members during an October ambush in Niger, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The long-awaited findings blame “individual, organizational and institutional failures” that caused U.S. and Niger troops to be attacked on Oct. 4 by about 50 ISIS-tied militants outside Tongo Tongo.

Improper training and a misrepresentation about the nature of the soldiers’ mission played a role, an eight-page summary of the probe said, as well as failures in the chain of command.

“I take ownership of all the events connected to the ambush of 4 October,” Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the head of the U.S. Africa Command, said Thursday at a briefing. “Again, the responsibility is mine.”

Whether anyone will be disciplined for the lapses remains unclear. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said “people will be held accountable.” Staff Sgts. Bryan Black, Jeremiah Johnson, Dustin Wright and Sgt. La David Johnson were killed in the firefight.

Megan Cerullo With News Wire Services The Trumps greet Americans freed by North Korea – (from left) Tony Kim, Kim Dong Chul and Kim Hak Song (rear) – at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Thursday as President announced summit with Kim Jong Un (bottom).