The 2017 Niger ambush that killed four U.S. soldiers was the result of “individual, organizational and institutional failures,” according to a new report from the Pentagon.
The eight-page summary released by the Department of Defense on Thursday detailed the findings leading up to and during the ambush and made recommendations to improve guidance for the planning and approval of military operations. Those recommendations included a full review of equipment requirements and improving coordination with forces from U.S. allies.
During a press conference with reporters Thursday, Army Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier, the lead investigating officer, praised the heroic actions of the four U.S. soldiers killed and said they demonstrated “numerous acts of extraordinary bravery.”
The report found that in the months leading up to the attack, the U.S. Special Operations Forces team involved in the Oct. 4 ambush saw personnel changes that prevented the team from “conducting key pre-deployment collective training” as a full team. Once the troops arrived in Ouallam, Niger, just half had conducted any collective training together.
According to the report, the Green Beret-led team left Camp Ouallam with Nigerien partner forces on a counterterrorism operation on Oct. 3. The operation, to be conducted near Tiloa, Niger, targeted a member of ISIS in the Greater Sahara.
Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, commander of U.S. Africa Command, told reporters Thursday that this person had “notorious connections” to extremist groups in Niger and Mali. The military believed that capturing the ISIS member would have helped troops find a “piece of the puzzle” to locating Jeffrey Woodke, a U.S. citizen held hostage in the region.
But the report determined that the members of Team Ouallam failed to conduct “pre-mission rehearsals or battle drills” with their partner forces from Niger, and found the initial plan submitted ahead of the operation mischaracterized the nature of the mission and therefore was not approved at the proper command level.
Cloutier said had the mission been characterized properly, it would’ve required approval from higher up the chain of command. Cloutier told reporters the paperwork submitted by team leaders was “identical” to a previous operation, and characterized it as “done hastily” and with a “lack of attention to detail.”
The team was unable to find the ISIS member, and was then told to serve as the supporting effort for a multi-team raid. The team executed the mission and started their return back to their home base.
It was during the return that the U.S. and Nigerien troops were ambushed by a “large enemy force” around 11:40 a.m. Oct. 4 south of Tongo Tongo after stopping for water. The fighting lasted several hours, and Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, and Sgt. LaDavid Johnson were killed.
Johnson, Cloutier said, ran 960 meters from where he was last seen and “made his last stand” under a dense thorny tree, which is why it took longer to find his remains.
French and Nigerian partner forces responded to the attack hours after the ambush began, and the Pentagon said their action “saved American lives.”
“To the extent this report highlights tactical decisions made by soldiers in the heat of battle, it should not be overlooked that American and Nigerian forces fought courageously on 4 October 2017 despite being significantly outnumbered by the enemy,” the report said.
The four soldiers killed “gave their last full measure of devotion to our country and died with honor while actively engaging the enemy.”
None of the men were taken by the enemy, but the military said Johnson was stripped of his equipment by enemy forces.
Waldhauser said there will be valor awards for those involved in the ambush, but said the final decision will be up to U.S. Special Operations Command.
