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Elite commandos sent after ambush
Deployment from U.S. a response to missing GI in Niger
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon deployed elite commandos from the United States in response to the deadly ambush of a Special Forces team in Niger, fearing that one soldier who was missing at the time was alive and might fall into enemy hands, military officials said.
The commandos, with the secretive Joint Special Operations Command, were deployed late on Oct. 4 after three U.S. soldiers and five Nigerien troops partnered with them were declared killed in action, said three officials, who had familiarity with the operation and spoke on the condition of anonymity because of its sensitivity.
Earlier in the day, French Mirage jets were dispatched from their base in Niamey, the Nigerien capital, along with French attack helicopters from Gao, in neighboring Mali. The U.S. request for assistance came after the troops notified their home base, an hour after the ambush began, that they were in trouble.
The jets took off within 30 minutes, and took another half-hour to reach the scene of the attack in the southwest corner of Niger near the border with Mali. They did not fire on what officials said was a confusing battlefield, to avoid hitting friendly forces. The helicopters, traveling more slowly and from farther away, took an additional hour to arrive.
It remains unclear whether the firefight was ongoing when the helicopters arrived and when it became apparent that Army Sgt. La David Johnson was missing. His body eventually was recovered the evening of Oct. 6, after it was found by local Nigeriens and turned over to Nigerien authorities working with U.S. troops. It was not clear whether JSOC forces ever became directly involved in the search.
Two U.S. military officials said Johnson may have become separated from his unit in part because they were ambushed twice in succession, by militants believed affiliated with the Islamic State group. That detail, first reported by NBC News, may explain the chaotic nature of the mission and the delayed call for assistance. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a news conference Monday that the U.S. and Nigerien troops first faced enemy fire that morning but may have initially thought the situation was under control.
Johnson’s separation triggered declaration of what the military calls a DUSTWUN, which stands for “duty status whereabouts unknown,” the officials said. Declaration of that status typically leads to an intense search for a missing service member. It is used when a commander suspects that a service member may be absent involuntarily but does not think enough evidence exists to make a definitive determination, according to a U.S. military manual.
Two U.S. military officials said it is unlikely JSOC would have deployed forces for the search if it was clear at the time that Johnson was dead. The concern, the officials said, was that the missing soldier could be captured alive.
The deployment of JSOC in response to Johnson’s disappearance was first reported by ABC News. It has not previously been reported that the military issued a DUSTWUN alert, or that commanders had concerns that Johnson was alive and potentially attempting to evade those who had ambushed his unit.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Wednesday revived the controversy over his handling of a condolence call with Johnson’s widow, rebutting Myeshia Johnson’s claim that Trump did not seem to remember her husband’s name and calling into question the memories of others who heard the conversation.
Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before departing for a fundraiser in Dallas, Trump said he called Sgt. Johnson by his correct name “right from the beginning.”
“One of the great memories of all time,” the president said, pointing at his head with his left hand. “There’s no hesitation,” he said, in part because he revealed that he was provided with a chart that had the fallen soldier’s name written out.
Trump also said he had not specifically authorized the mission in Niger, which has prompted a slew of unanswered questions about how the mission went awry.
“No I didn’t, not specifically, but I have generals that are great generals — these are great fighters, these are warriors,” he said. “I gave them authority to do what’s right so that we win. That’s the authority they have. I want to win, and we’re going to win.”
Trump struck a more deferential tone in his latest comments than he had in some earlier statements.
“I was extremely nice to her,” Trump said. “She sounds like a lovely lady. I’ve never seen her, I’ve never met her, but she sounds like a lovely lady. But I was extremely nice to her, I was extremely courteous, as I was to everyone else.”
The president added that he respects both her and her family, including her late husband. “I think she’s a fantastic woman,” he said. “I was extremely nice to her, extremely respectful.”