U.S. Soldier in Niger Was Killed by Enemy Fire, Not Captured, According to Report
Rick Jervis, USA TODAY
3:48 p.m. ET Dec. 17, 2017
Army Sgt. La David Johnson was killed by enemy rifle and machine gun fire during an October ambush in Niger that killed three other soldiers, according to a newly revealed report.
The military investigation, reported by the Associated Press on Sunday, cited that Johnson of Miami Gardens, Fla., was fighting to the end after fleeing an attack by an offshoot of the Islamic State and wasn’t captured or executed, as previously believed. U.S. officials familiar with the findings spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to describe details of the investigation, which has not been finalized or publicly released.
Johnson’s body was recovered by local forces two days after the Oct. 4 attack, found in thick brush where he tried to take cover, the AP said. His boots and other equipment were stolen, but he was still wearing his uniform.
Johnson’s death was at the center of a heated controversy between President Trump and U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., after Trump told Johnson’s pregnant widow that the soldier “knew what he signed up for.” Wilson overheard the phone call and publicly denounced Trump’s remarks.
John Kelly, a former four-star Marine general and Trump’s chief of staff, joined the controversy by saying he was stunned at Wilson’s remarks, calling the congresswoman an “empty barrel.”
The soldier's widow, Myeshia Johnson, later told ABC’s Good Morning America that she was “very angry” at the tone of Trump’s voice during their call and how the president struggled with the slain soldier’s name.
She said she wanted to know more about how her husband died and why his body wasn’t recovered for 48 hours. She said she wasn’t allowed to look in his casket when it arrived.
“I need to see him so I know it’s my husband,” she said. “They won’t show me a finger, a hand; I know my husband’s body from head-to-toe and they won’t let me see anything.”
The Pentagon is investigating the incident and has not released details about the exact mission of Johnson’s commando team. U.S. officials have said the joint U.S.-Niger patrol had been asked to assist a second American commando team hunting for a senior Islamic State member, who also had former ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The team had been asked to go to a location where the insurgent had last been seen and collect intelligence.
After completing that mission, the troops stopped in a village for a short time to get food and water, then left. The U.S. military believes someone in the village may have tipped off attackers to the presence of U.S. commandoes and Nigerien forces in the area, setting in motion the ambush.
Military officials told the AP that a medical examination concluded that Johnson was hit by fire from M-4 rifles — probably stolen by the insurgents — and Soviet-made heavy machine guns. It is believed he died in the attack.
The bodies of the three other U.S. Green Berets were located the day of the attack but not Johnson’s, leading to speculation that he was carried away or executed by the enemy. The other Americans killed were: 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.
3:48 p.m. ET Dec. 17, 2017
Army Sgt. La David Johnson was killed by enemy rifle and machine gun fire during an October ambush in Niger that killed three other soldiers, according to a newly revealed report.
The military investigation, reported by the Associated Press on Sunday, cited that Johnson of Miami Gardens, Fla., was fighting to the end after fleeing an attack by an offshoot of the Islamic State and wasn’t captured or executed, as previously believed. U.S. officials familiar with the findings spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to describe details of the investigation, which has not been finalized or publicly released.
Johnson’s body was recovered by local forces two days after the Oct. 4 attack, found in thick brush where he tried to take cover, the AP said. His boots and other equipment were stolen, but he was still wearing his uniform.
Johnson’s death was at the center of a heated controversy between President Trump and U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., after Trump told Johnson’s pregnant widow that the soldier “knew what he signed up for.” Wilson overheard the phone call and publicly denounced Trump’s remarks.
John Kelly, a former four-star Marine general and Trump’s chief of staff, joined the controversy by saying he was stunned at Wilson’s remarks, calling the congresswoman an “empty barrel.”
The soldier's widow, Myeshia Johnson, later told ABC’s Good Morning America that she was “very angry” at the tone of Trump’s voice during their call and how the president struggled with the slain soldier’s name.
She said she wanted to know more about how her husband died and why his body wasn’t recovered for 48 hours. She said she wasn’t allowed to look in his casket when it arrived.
“I need to see him so I know it’s my husband,” she said. “They won’t show me a finger, a hand; I know my husband’s body from head-to-toe and they won’t let me see anything.”
The Pentagon is investigating the incident and has not released details about the exact mission of Johnson’s commando team. U.S. officials have said the joint U.S.-Niger patrol had been asked to assist a second American commando team hunting for a senior Islamic State member, who also had former ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The team had been asked to go to a location where the insurgent had last been seen and collect intelligence.
After completing that mission, the troops stopped in a village for a short time to get food and water, then left. The U.S. military believes someone in the village may have tipped off attackers to the presence of U.S. commandoes and Nigerien forces in the area, setting in motion the ambush.
Military officials told the AP that a medical examination concluded that Johnson was hit by fire from M-4 rifles — probably stolen by the insurgents — and Soviet-made heavy machine guns. It is believed he died in the attack.
The bodies of the three other U.S. Green Berets were located the day of the attack but not Johnson’s, leading to speculation that he was carried away or executed by the enemy. The other Americans killed were: 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.
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