Video allegedly shows ambush of U.S. troops
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 Oct. 4 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 Nigeriens. (The Pentagon has declined to explain their assignment.)
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.
Over the weekend, Islamic State released a video via Telegram and to a Mauritanian news outlet that captures three soldiers fighting for their lives.
The video then cuts to footage of several 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.”