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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCaught in a deadly ambush, U.S. troops in Niger waited an hour for French air power to arrive
By Dan Lamothe October 23 at 7:47 PM
The U.S. Special Forces team caught in a deadly ambush three weeks ago in Niger did not request help from nearby French forces for about an hour after the firefight began near a village the Americans had visited during a reconnaissance mission several hours prior, the Pentagons top general said Monday.
It then took the French another hour to get fighter jets over the American troops, according to a new timeline provided by Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The disclosure doubles the amount of time the U.S. troops were believed to have fought without significant additional help.
This is a very complex situation that they found themselves in, and a pretty tough firefight, Dunford said.
Four U.S. soldiers were killed and two others were wounded in the battle Oct. 4. Five Nigerien troops also died. The mission has ignited a political firestorm, raising questions about the U.S. militarys broader mission in Africa and why one of the fallen soldiers, Sgt. La David Johnson, was not recovered for two days.
more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/caught-in-a-deadly-ambush-us-troops-in-niger-waited-an-hour-for-french-air-power-to-arrive/2017/10/23/0db1cea6-b834-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html
heaven05
(18,124 posts)BS is CYA. Saw it plenty of times in explanations of hostile engagements leading to american combat deaths coming out of Vietnam, IRAQ, Afghanistan. Nothing....NOTHING..coming out of the mouths of 'officials' associated with and leading this POS administration can ever be believed.
brush
(53,787 posts)yesterday said that the troops didn't call for help for an hour, maybe because they thought they could handle the situation.
WTF?
They're all covering their ass and somehow the black guy got left behind.
It's like in the movies, the black guy is always the first one killed, or left behind, or in real like it's the unarmed black guy shot by the police.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)Green Berets are some of our best and most cohesive units. To suggest they abandoned him, their comrades in arms, because if his race if totally inappropriate.
It is more likely that others died trying to save him. Or he died trying to save them.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)of ACTIVE racists running our government from top to bottom and encouraging their racist attitudes to be adopted by civilian and military alike, it is not a stretch to believe that even in one of our 'elite' units, the white soldiers were seen as priority. Nothing inappropriate of questioning, why the black guy? Was he still alive when left? Was he killed by hostile fire or.......many, many questions are arising in this old vet's mind who served 13 months in a small base camp in a country where 'fragging' became a household word.
brush
(53,787 posts)We keep hearing all these generals in press conferences declaring that Americans don't leave their fallen behind yet he got left behind for two days.
There's no denying that.
always the first one....always. I am so angry they left him on the field of battle in hostile territory for 2 goddamn days. Meanwhile back at the ranch the other KIA's and WIA's were being taken care of. Was Sgt. Johnson still alive when left behind? That's my question.
Not Ruth
(3,613 posts)Our troops were in a ground battle, how about sending ground troops.....
hack89
(39,171 posts)secondly, it is not certain there were French troops available to help them.
IronLionZion
(45,452 posts)the ground troops identify the enemy's location and the jets come and shoot them. It's been commonplace for decades.
As for having more ground troops. Chad had troops in Niger supporting the fight against ISIS. Trump cut off travel arbitrarily for no listed or implied reason whatsoever, so Chad removed their troops. There are other American troops in the west Africa. Not sure why they weren't called.
Response to Not Ruth (Reply #2)
GulfCoast66 This message was self-deleted by its author.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)Air support is often more valuable than more troops.
sarisataka
(18,663 posts)Even have ground troops to send?
Even if they did, that would likely take another hour or three.
Air support is faster and often more effective
IronLionZion
(45,452 posts)mainly under threats of having their families raped and massacred. Trump's blatant bigotry against Muslims doesn't help.