New drone footage released of militant attack that killed four US and five Nigerien soldiers

Newly released drone footage of a militant ambush in Niger that killed four American and five Nigerien service personnel shows the soldiers desperately trying to escape and then fighting for their lives when friendly forces arrived but mistook them for the enemy.

It shows how the fleeing troops set up a quick defensive location on the edge of a swamp and, thinking they were soon to die, wrote messages home to their loved ones.

The video, released by the Pentagon with explanatory narration, includes more than 10 minutes of drone footage, file tape and animation that was not made public last week when the military released a portion of the final report on the attack. The video depicts for the first time the hours the troops spent holding off their enemy and waiting for rescue last October.

Pentagon investigation into lethal Niger ambush finds multiple failures Read more

Forty-six US and Nigerien troops were involved in the initial mission in the west African nation, a failed attempt to find a high-value militant. The team was heading home after collecting intelligence from the site when it was attacked by more than 100 militants just outside the village of Tongo Tongo. A number of the Nigeriens escaped by truck, but four US and five Nigerien troops died in the ambush.

The video depicts seven American forces and four Nigeriens fleeing on foot, under heavy mortar and small arms fire. They crossed through a swamp, and at about 12.50pm on 4 October they took cover at the edge of a clearing.

“They wrote short messages to loved ones on personal devices, believing they would soon be overrun,” the video narrator says. About 20 minutes later, two unarmed US drones arrived overhead and established contact with the team; after another seven minutes, two French Mirage aircraft flew past at a low altitude, in a show of force to frighten the enemy. Some of the militants can be seen moving quickly away.

After nearly three hours of waiting, French helicopters arrived, and an American soldier can be seen moving out into the clearing, waving a US flag to help the aircraft locate them.

The video shifts to an overhead view near the team waiting at the clearing, and two trucks can be seen moving into the frame. The drone video zooms in on them, and flashes of gunfire light up the screen.

A Nigerien response force had arrived to help, and mistook the team for enemy insurgents. For 48 seconds they fired on the team with automatic weapons, until they were able to confirm their identity. No one was injured in the brief gunfight.

US Africa Command launched a search and recovery mission for the one American soldier who was missing, Sgt La David Johnson. The bodies of the others who were killed had been recovered, but Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Florida, could not be found.

Nigerien military forces located Johnson’s body about two days later in the heavy brush where he had taken cover and fought in his final stand against the enemy. The video shows the Nigeriens carrying his body to the back of a waiting truck, and later transferring him to a helicopter.

The investigation into the incident found there were a number of failures associated with the mission, but none directly caused the enemy ambush. It also described multiple acts of heroism, as members of the outmanned and outgunned Army Special Forces team fought to protect one another.