Editors

USA TODAY

Congress demanded answers two weeks after an ambush in Niger killed four U.S. soldiers. The White House has defended the slow response, saying an investigation would lend clarity to the tragedy.

When President Trump was asked recently by a reporter about the soldiers who were killed in Niger, his answer set off the latest political controversy. Trump said erroneously that unlike his predecessors he likes to call and write letters to the family members of dead service members.

Wait, there's more:

Trump on Wednesday denied Rep. Frederica Wilson's claim that he told the widow of a U.S. soldier killed in Niger that her husband knew "what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurts."

White House chief of staff John Kelly said Thursday he was “stunned and broken-hearted” after Wilson listened in on a conversation between the widow of the slain U.S. soldier and then criticized Trump’s attempts to console her. Kelly said the comments Trump made to Army Sgt. La David Johnson's widow, Myeshia Johnson, were similar to those spoken to him after his son was killed in Afghanistan.

More:Soldier's mom backs claim Trump said fallen soldier 'knew what he signed up for'

Despite the political back-and-forth, little has surfaced about the attack. Here's what we know:

Why were U.S. troops in Niger?

U.S. forces are in the country to provide training and security assistance to Niger's military in their fight against extremists. U.S. Africa Command has deployed trainers and advisers throughout the continent to build relationships with local forces and support their counter-terrorism efforts.

“This Niger operation is very typical of how the U.S. operates on the continent,” said Joshua Meservey, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C., think tank. Niger is a longtime U.S. counter-terrorism partner in the region.

The U.S. has occasionally attacked terrorists with drones or small raids in Africa, but the main mission of American troops there is to support local armed forces.

The team members killed in Niger were part of a contingent of about 800 U.S. troops in the country, U.S. Africa Command said. The U.S. is also establishing a drone base there.

More:4th U.S. soldier dead after attack in Niger, U.S. officials say

How has the attack been described?

According to the Associated Press, U.S. officials described a chaotic assault, as 40-50 extremists in vehicles and on motorcycles fired rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns at the patrol, setting off explosions and shattering windows. The soldiers got out of their trucks, returning fire and calling in support from French helicopters and fighter jets that quickly responded to the scene, according to officials. The officials weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. and Niger forces were leaving a meeting with tribal leaders when they were ambushed. Most of the U.S. troops were Army special forces.

According to a statement by Niger’s army chief of staff, the joint patrol was attacked by “terrorist elements” in a dozen vehicles and about 20 motorcycles.

The statement said the deaths and injuries came “after intense fighting, during which elements of the joint force showed exemplary courage.”

Who does the U.S. believe is responsible for the attack?

U.S. officials say they believe extremists linked to the Islamic State group were responsible for the attack about 120 miles north of Niger’s capital, Niamey.

No extremist group has claimed responsibility for the Oct. 4 attack in southwest Niger.

How is the U.S. government handling the investigation?

The attack is under official military investigation. Sen. John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday it may take a subpoena to shake loose more information from the Trump administration as the response to requests for information has been slow. “They are not forthcoming with that information,” McCain told reporters.

Sen. Bob Corker, the Tennessee Republican who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said members of Congress have been provided with some information about the attack, “but not what we should.”

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis pushed back, saying it naturally takes time to verify information about a combat engagement. He promised to provide accurate information as soon as it’s available, but offered no timetable.

“The loss of our troops is under investigation,” he said. “We in the Department of Defense like to know what we’re talking about before we talk.”

Mattis did not offer details about the circumstances under which the Americans were traveling but said contact with hostile forces had been “considered unlikely.”

(Contributing: Associated Press)