yourselfrest.blogg.se

• VIDEO AMBUSH NIGER AMERICAN SERIES

The Pentagon said in November that it plans to reduce its counterterrorism forces in Africa over the next several years. As result of the firefight, a team on patrol in Africa now would not be in an “uncovered position,” according to the Defense Department. military in Africa has taken steps to increase the security of troops on the ground, adding armed drones and armored vehicles and taking a harder look when American forces go out with local troops. Jeremiah Johnson was also posthumously promoted to Sgt. Wright and La David Johnson were awarded the Silver Star Black and Jeremiah Johnson were awarded the Bronze Star with V for valor. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Georgia.įour Nigerien troops were also killed, and two American soldiers and eight Nigerien forces were wounded. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio and Staff Sgt. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Washington Staff Sgt. Killed in the attack were Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Florida Staff Sgt. The Pentagon said the Army has approved nine awards for valor, including four awarded posthumously to the soldiers killed in the ambush and ensuing firefight. She said the families are still pleading for answers and the Pentagon’s “failure to provide them has opened new wounds that a medal of valor or redacted copy of an insufficient investigative report cannot heal.” Wilson noted that he had been sent on a mission without proper intel or equipment and was “woefully unprepared to participate in counterterrorism operations.” Johnson, was one of the soldiers killed in the ambush. Shanahan’s “failure to hold senior commanders accountable (is) quite frankly baffling, and yet another example of what happens when someone with questionable qualifications for the job he holds is tasked with such a complex problem,” Wilson said, noting that he has no military experience. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., noted in a statement Thursday that one senior official involved was even in line for a promotion, and she was scathing in her assessment. “Their families - and the American public - deserve clear answers about what happened, who will be held accountable, and what will be done to prevent this from ever happening again.” One thing is clear: mistakes were made that cost these men’s lives,” said Gallego, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “From the beginning, the investigation into what happened that day has been poorly handled at all levels.

Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who issued a statement Thursday critical of the military’s handling of the review. That has left some lawmakers and family members of the fallen soldiers asking whether junior officers were unfairly being forced to take the brunt of the blame.Īmong them is Rep.

Marcus Hicks, who was serving as the commander of special operations forces in Africa at the time of the attack, was the most senior officer punished. Nine individuals have been disciplined, mainly with letters of reprimand or administrative action.

Investigators found that Special Operations Command in Africa had no process to deal with time-sensitive or real-time mission approvals and the command seemed implicitly to allow for last-minute notice of operations. The mission was hastily planned with lack of attention to detail because of time-sensitive intelligence, received hours earlier, that could lead to capture of a high-value target. forces didn’t have time to train together before they deployed and didn’t do preparatory battle drills with their Nigerien partners. The investigation resulted in the implementation of 20 recommendations on issues including training, turnover, equipment and improved procedures, according to the Pentagon.

VIDEO AMBUSH NIGER AMERICAN SERIES

The report detailed a series of “individual, organizational, and institutional failures and deficiencies that contributed to the tragic events” but “no single failure or deficiency” to blame for what happened. The release of the 176-page unclassified report Wednesday ends more than a year of reviews after the Pentagon wrapped up an internal investigation into the Oct. Based on an examination of the review, “I am satisfied that all findings, awards, and accountability actions were thorough and appropriate,” Shanahan said in a statement issued Wednesday.Ī 12-member Army special forces unit was accompanying 30 Nigerien forces on a mission to capture or kill a high-level Islamic State group leader in West Africa when they were outnumbered and attacked by more than 100 extremists carrying small arms just outside the village of Tongo Tongo.