Multiple failures led to attack on U.S. marines
WASHINGTON— Multiple failures are to blame for the Niger ambush that killed four U.S. service members last October, the Pentagon said Thursday, citing insufficient training and preparation as well as the team’s deliberate decision to go after a high-level Islamic State insurgent without proper command approval.
A report summary released Thursday includes recommendations to improve mission planning and approval procedures, re-evaluate equipment and weapons requirements, and review training that U.S. commandos conduct with partner forces.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis directed Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, head of U.S. Africa Command, to take immediate steps to address shortfalls, and has given senior leaders four months to complete a review and lay out a plan for additional changes.
At a Pentagon news conference, Waldhauser said he takes responsibility for what happened.
“I take ownership of all the events connected to the ambush of 4 October,” he told reporters. “Again, the responsibility is mine.”
Waldhauser said changes have already been made in the way military activities are carried out in Niger and elsewhere in Africa.
“We are now far more prudent on our missions,” the general said.
The summary lays out a confusing chain of events that unfolded on Oct. 3-4, ending in a lengthy, brutal firefight as 46 U.S. and Nigerien forces battled for their lives against more than 100 enemy fighters. Amid the chaos, it identifies repeated acts of bravery as the outnumbered and outgunned soldiers risked their lives to protect and rescue each other during the more than hour-long assault.
“This investigation identifies individual, organizational, and institutional failures and deficiencies that contributed to the tragic events of 4 October 2017,” the summary said. But it concludes that “although the report details the compounding impact of tactical and operational decisions, no single failure or deficiency was the sole reason for the events of 4 October 2017.”
Military officials found that the U.S. forces didn’t have time to train together before they deployed and did not do premission battle drills with their Nigerien partners. And the report found there was a lack of attention to detail and lax communication about missions that led to a “general lack of situational awareness and command oversight at every echelon.”
Waldhauser said the report, which has not yet been made public in full, singles out three individuals whose actions could be faulted. Whether they are disciplined is a matter to be decided by U.S. Special Operations Command, he said.
Robert Karen, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, who spoke alongside Waldhauser, said there are about 800 U.S. troops in Niger, and that none are supposed to be engaged in direct combat.
Killed in the attack were: Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Fla.; Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga. Four Nigerian troops were killed and two American soldiers and eight Nigerian forces were wounded.
The report says that the four soldiers killed in the attack “gave their last full measure of devotion to our country and died with honor while actively engaging the enemy.” It says that none were captured alive by the enemy, and all died immediately or quickly from their wounds. Sgt. La David Johnson and two Nigerien soldiers got separated from the others during the battle and were gunned down, but his body wasn’t found until two days later.