Call for air cover came 1 hour after attack
Pentagon looks at whether mission in Niger changed
An Army Special Forces combat patrol in the west African nation of Niger did not anticipate resistance and called for air support one hour after being attacked by ISIS-affiliated militants, the Pentagon’s top general said Monday.
French fighter jets arrived to support the besieged troops on Oct. 4, but four U.S. soldiers were dead, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a briefing at the Pentagon.
“This area is inherently dangerous,” Dunford said.
The 12-member U.S. patrol did not anticipate being attacked, and U.S. rules for troops in the area prohibit missions when attacks are likely, he said.
Dunford identified the attackers as an “ISIS-affiliated” group and characterized the attack as complex, “a pretty tough firefight.” He said the attackers used small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.
When Sgt. La David Johnson was determined to be missing, “the full weight” of the U.S. government was brought to bear to find him, Dunford said.
Johnson’s body was recovered Oct. 6.
Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga., were killed along with Johnson.
Five Nigerien troops also were killed in the attack. Niger is a former French colony.
The Pentagon is investigating whether the mission changed after the patrol set out, Dunford said, and whether the troops were adequately equipped and how Johnson got separated from his unit.
The White House was notified once Johnson was determined to be missing, Dunford said.
Dunford said there was “no utility” in comparing the Niger attack to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed by Islamist militants. The loss of four soldiers makes the Niger attack “a big deal to me,” he said.
The Niger attack has become more controversial in the past week as President Trump claimed that previous presidents had not made condolence calls to the families of fallen troops. After that claim was debunked, Trump called Johnson’s widow.
That call, which was overhead by Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Florida Democrat and friend of the family, led to criticisms by Wilson and Johnson’s widow, Myeshia, that Trump was disrespectful to Johnson and his family.
“Yes, the president said that he knew what he signed up for but it hurts anyway. And it made me cry cause I was very angry at the tone of his voice and how he said he couldn’t remember my husband’s name,” Myeshia Johnson said Monday on ABC’s Good Morning America.
“I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband’s name, and that’s what hurt me the most, because if my husband is out here fighting for our country and he risked his life for our country, why can’t you remember his name? And that’s what made me upset and cry even more because my husband was an awesome soldier.”
Trump has alternately denied making the comments to Myeshia Johnson, criticized Wilson and called her “wacky,” and said he did remember Sgt. Johnson’s name.
On Thursday, White House chief of staff John Kelly criticized Wilson for politicizing the condolence call but did not deny that Trump had said the words attributed to him by Wilson.