Something seems terribly amiss with the Niger investigation
A recent posting of an ISIS video shows graphic footage of the ambush in Niger last October in which four American soldiers were killed. Taken from the stolen helmet cams of the slain soldiers, this footage brings us yet another eerie reminder not only of the tragic deaths of Staff Sgts. Bryan Black, Jeremiah Johnson, Dustin Wright, and Sgt. La David Johnson, but also highlights the mystery surrounding what happened that day.
In particular, I continue to be mystified and concerned by the failure of the military to answer very basic questions about the death of my constituent, Sgt. La David Johnson, a young man and beloved father and husband who I knew from his childhood days as a participant in the 5000 Role Models of Excellence program.
Although it has been more than five months already, we continue to await the formal release of the AFRICOM investigative report that was due in January. Questions surrounding the murky circumstances about what exactly took place up to, during, and following the ambush and Sgt. Johnson’s death continue to go unanswered. In fact, instead of concrete responses to these critical inquiries, we have even more questions.
As more information about that fateful day — October 4, 2017 — comes out, the lack of clarity surrounding Sgt. Johnson’s death ominously persists. Moreover, there continue to be severe reporting inconsistencies with respect to his death, as well as the goal and even the underlying nature of the soldiers’ mission. Were they instructed merely to do reconnaissance, as the military previously stated, or were they assigned the extraordinarily dangerous task of finding and even capturing “Doundoun Cheffou,” one of the top lieutenants of the Islamic State in the Maghreb region, who had possible connections or even personal links to the kidnapping of an American aid worker.
Although the Department of Defense has provided various media outlets with initial details contained in the report, too many ostensibly straightforward questions remain. Why, for instance, did it take a full 48 hours to locate Sgt. Johnson’s body after he was killed? Why were his remains recovered nearly a mile away from the area where the firefight took place? How did he get separated from the other members of his unit in the first place? And if, as it appears, he and his unit were assigned to undertake such a dangerous mission, why were they not better prepared, or at least provided with more pervasive cover by the French or U.S. forces in the area, especially given that, as admitted by top U.S. military officials, the area they were in was extremely dangerous and frequently utilized by militants?
Along with Sgt. Johnson’s family, the Miami Gardens community, the city of Miami and the American public, I demand answers to these questions. We impatiently await the publication of AFRICOM’s investigative report on the incident. And although a clearer understanding of these events will not ease the pain of Sgt. Johnson’s loss to his family and our community, it will hopefully clear up many of the key questions revolving around this incident.
Rep. Frederica Wilson represents Florida’s 24th Congressional District, and is the founder of 5000 Role Models of Excellence, a youth mentoring program.