[96], Senator John McCain stated that the Trump administration was not being forthcoming about the details of the ambush. At a 2018 Pentagon press briefing, the ambushed team was blamed for poor training and reckless mission planning in their attempt to capture Doundou Chefou, a mid-level commander for the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. The team radioed in that they were being overrun, then destroyed their radios to avoid them getting in the hands of the enemy. [29] According to the United States Department of Defense, ISIL leaders in Syria had acknowledged Sahrawi's allegiance through their Amaq News Agency but ISGS "has not been formally recognized as an official branch of ISIL". One of the captains led the patrol and worked with the second captain to develop a concept of operations (CONOP) for a mission to go after a militant in northwestern Niger suspected in the kidnapping of an American aid worker. Jeremiah Wayne Johnson. He was from Springboro, Ohio. [119], On 20 October, Jason Ditz wrote an article for The American Conservative saying, "Niger provides a terrifying reminder of how far we are from being an informed American public that serves as a check and balance on what our military is doing in our name. Here are the other U.S. soldiers killed in Niger", "City to host memorial service for Green Beret killed in Niger", "DoD releases names of 3rd Special Forces Group soldiers killed in Niger", "Fayetteville funeral held for Green Beret killed in Niger", "Pentagon identifies fourth soldier killed in Niger attack", "More than 1,000 mourn Sgt. Combat Infantryman Badge Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, 39; Sergeant La David Johnson, 25; and Staff . [100], On 26 October, Robert Karem, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, and Air Force Major General Albert Elton briefed the Senate Armed Services Committee in a closed session. [1], In January 2013, a senior Nigerien official told Reuters that Bisa Williams, the then-United States Ambassador to Niger, requested permission to establish a drone base in a meeting with Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou. [134], Six medals were awarded to Nigerien soldiers. Staff Sgt. Army Achievement Medal Bryan C. Black, 35, and Staff Sgt. The graphic footage was recorded on the helmet cameras of Staff Sgt. The Tongo Tongo ambush or the Niger ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, . [86], The ambush was the deadliest combat incident involving US soldiers since Donald Trump took office as president on 20 January 2017. The battle of Tongo Tongo was over, and the search for four fallen members of Team Ouallam would begin. Johnsons mother said a new building at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is also being built for 3rd Special Forces Group the unit her son was assigned and that will be dedicated to him as Johnson Hall. As the enemy force mounted and advanced through the tree line, the convoy halted. [61] While in school, Black learned to play chess and, by the sixth grade, had earned a national ranking. [68], In school, Johnson met Myeshia Manual, whom he married on 22 August 2014. Name. Johnson enlisted in the Army in October 2007 as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Specialist. The Tongo Tongo ambush or the Niger ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, . The four fallen troops "gave their last full measure of devotion to our country and died with honor while actively engaging the enemy," the summary said. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson, who was killed in action in the 2017 attack and decorated with the Bronze Star Medal with "V" for Valor, praised the French but said the U . Forces in Niger Were Denied Armed Drone", "Pentagon suspects Green Berets in Niger killed by self-radicalized group", "Top US general reveals new info on Niger ambush", "Attaques jihadistes: le Niger sous le feu", "Video showing deadly ambush of US soldiers in Niger raises new questions", "U.S. soldier in Niger ambush was bound and apparently executed, villagers say", "Missing soldier found nearly a mile from Niger ambush, officials say", "Additional remains of Sergeant La David Johnson found in Niger", "Puyallup Green Beret killed in Niger once was a chess whiz and stock", "Trump's call to one widow has dominated the news. Wright got in the SUV and began to slowly drive south while Black and Jeremiah Johnson ran alongside, continuing suppressive fire at the enemy while under heavy fire. Honoring those who fought and died in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom Niger: June 2016 October 2016, Awards: [63], Black enlisted in the US Army in October 2009 and eventually became a Special Forces medical sergeant (18D), he was subsequently assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd SFG in June 2015 and deployed to Afghanistan for two months in July. [20] The report did not make specific recommendations on the handling of future missions. Dustin Wright, Staff Sgt. U.S. forces are in Niger helping train and advise Nigerien security forces; they are not serving in a combat role, according to officials at U.S. Africa Command. [72] with about 1,200 people in attendance, including Representative Wilson. They thought they could handle it at first -- no immediate need to call for backup or air support. For Wright, Niger was his first overseas deployment. [19] The team believed the local leader was complicit in an impending attack. Army Service Ribbon The Tongo Tongo ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, when armed militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) attacked Nigerien and U.S. soldiers near the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, while they were returning to base from a mission. [60][63][64] He spoke English, French, Arabic, and Hausa, the last of which is spoken in Niger. . Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class and received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor. Sergeant First Class Jeremiah W. Johnson of Springboro, Ohio, was killed while conducting a reconnaissance patrol near Tongo Tongo, Niger, on 4 October 2017. The award citation is not releasable due to PII and information that will compromise a specific mission or operation. Afghanistan: July 2015 - September 2015, Awards: [24] On 5 February, officials from both Niger and the United States said that the two countries signed a status of forces agreement that allowed the deployment of unarmed surveillance drones. Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon Army Commendation Medal w/C Device WASHINGTON The Pentagon on Friday released the names of the three soldiers killed this week in Niger while conducting a joint patrol with Nigerien forces. Sgt. The top U.S. military officer, Army Gen. Mark Milley, has delivered a message to Ukrainian soldiers at a new training program Two of three NATO surveillance planes deployed temporarily to Romania have arrived at an air base near Bucharest. [112], On 23 October, Myeshia Johnson said on ABC's Good Morning America that Wilson's account of the call with Trump was "100 percent correct" and that the call "made [her] cry even worse". They would establish a perimeter and began treating the wounded. [19], Bryan Christopher Black (19822017) of Puyallup, Washington,[60] was born in Camp Pendleton, California, to Henry and Karen Black. Dustin Wright died Wednesday. This account was disputed by Trump, who said that he "had a very nice conversation with the woman, with the wife" and accused Wilson of "fabricating" her account. The ambush left five Nigeriens, [11] four Americans, [7] and 21 militants dead. Combat Action Badge. Jeremiah Johnson (gridiron football) (born 1987), American and Canadian football running back. Johnson was married to Crystal and had two daughters, Addie and Elisa. Approximately 960 meters (1,050yd) from the initial ambush site, LaDavid took cover under a dense thorny tree and engaged the encroaching enemy. I did watch the head cam. Through the night of the 4th, the team made their movement north and reached the objective officials referred to as "objective north" at sunrise. [58] On 12November, additional remains of LaDavid Johnson were found at the site where his body was recovered. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. National Defense Service Medal ", Staff Sgts. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . They were killed on Oct. 4, 2017 near the village of Tongo Tongo. After initially escaping the ambush site, the American and Nigerien forces established a secondary position. The new video was quietly recovered during a French operation to kill the leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara this summer. "Wright stopped, returned to Staff. A much shorter, edited version was disseminated by the Islamic State group a year after the ambush outside the village of Tongo Tongo, near the Niger-Mali border. "Approximately 85 meters from the vehicle, enemy small-arms fire hit [Jeremiah Johnson], severely wounding him," the summary said. March 8, 2018 1:43 PM EST. MOS/Branch: Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist (74D) Component: Regular Army. La David T. Johnson's Funeral Held Saturday", "Honor the Fallen: Army Staff Sgt. Im glad that theyre recognizing him for what he did, Gannon said, recalling the recently recovered helmet camera footage. [111] On the same day, Arnold Wright said that Trump was respectful when he called with his condolences, "He talked to me about the loss of my son and how he served with honor and dignity and he just wanted to give me a call to thank me". [103], On 9 May 2019, US Representative Ruben Gallego urged senators to oppose Patrick M. Shanahan's nomination as Secretary of Defense, alleging that he "mishandled" the investigation into the Tongo Tongo ambush. ISIS has released a sickening video appearing to show their fighters ambushing and killing four US soldiers in Niger. On October 4, 2017, four U.S. soldiers from the Africa Command were ambushed and killed during a mission near Tongo Tongo, Niger. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson, was one of four U.S. special operations soldiers killed in Niger on October 4, 2017, when Islamist fighters ambushed their team. [27] US Army Special Forces personnel (commonly referred to as Green Berets) have deployed on numerous occasions to train personnel of the Niger Armed Forces (FAN) to assist in the fight against terrorists from neighboring countries. [67] Johnson had her name tattooed on his chest. Niger Cross of Valor with Star ", "Trump says he did not 'specifically' authorize Niger mission that killed four U.S. soldiers", "After Niger Attack, U.S. [126], On 19 October, NBC News reported that AFRICOM sent a team to Niger to conduct a "review of the facts". Jeremiah Johnson, 39, La David . La David Johnson and 3 fellow soldiers killed in Niger", "Miami stunt rider known as the 'Wheelie King', "For soldier killed in Niger, making life better every day in the world was his mission", "U.S. Army Sgt. In summing up the findings of the investigation, Cloutier said, "I think the first point is that all of our soldiers fought valiantly that day. [66] His funeral was held in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on 19 October 2017.[66]. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. and Debra Johnson,[64][66] and graduated from North Stafford High School in 1996. [36], The eight vehicle convoy left the village at 11:35a.m. on their planned route back to base. Niger is a hotbed of Islamist insurgent groups to include al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, and Boko Haram. La David Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Florida; Staff Sgt. The remains were retrieved from the spot near the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, where Johnson and three other American soldiers were ambushed and killed on Oct. 4 by ISIS-linked militants. Somehow, it was left behind. Approximately 100 meters (110yd) outside of the village, armed ISGS militants believed to be led by Doundou Chefou, a lieutenant in the terrorist group given the code name "Naylor Road" by US forces,[42] began their assault against the rear of the convoy. In March 2018, more than five months after the attack, the SUV used by the Americans and the helmet cam footage was discovered by Tuareg Rebels in Mali after clashes with bandits in the border area. [85], Karimou Yacouba, the local member of the National Assembly, told The Guardian, "Everything that happened could have been prevented if help had arrived sooner". ", The attackers brought up a truck-mounted heavy machine gun and raked the tree, the summary said. 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