“The Special Forces team was in the area operating with and assisting Nigerian forces during a meet and greet, known in the US military as a key leader engagement (KLE), with local tribal elders when they were ambushed.”
Remains belonging to Sergeant La David Johnson, one of the four American soldiers killed in Niger in early October, were found and recovered five weeks after the attack that claimed his life. Sgt. Johnson was initially missing after an attack that also took the lives of three Special Forces soldiers and his body was recovered in a separate location from the Green Berets that died in the attack.
A team from United States Africa Command that has been investigating the attack discovered the remains on November 12th near the site where Sgt. Johnson’s body was initially found. The Washington Post has reported that local villagers found Johnson with his hands bound behind him and a gaping hole in his head, indicating that he may have been captured alive and executed by the Islamist militants that carried out the attack.
Sgt. Johnson joined the army in 2014 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) in a support role. He was not a Green Beret, as has been falsely reported by several media sources.
Sergeant La David Johnson
Also killed in the attack were Staff Sergeant Bryan Black, Staff Sergeant Jerimiah Johnson, and Staff Sergeant Justin Wright. All three were assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) as Green Berets.
“We can confirm that the Armed Forces Medical Examiner has positively identified these remains as those of Sgt. Johnson,” Department of Defense Chief Spokesperson Dana White said.
The team was ambushed near the Niger-Mali border, an area where several Islamic extremist groups, including the Islamic State and Boko Haram, have been known to operate.
The Special Forces team was in the area operating with and assisting Nigerian forces during a meet and greet, known in the US military as a key leader engagement (KLE), with local tribal elders when they were ambushed. There has been some discussion about a possible kill or capture mission against a high-value-target believed to be in the area, but this has not been confirmed.
The team was ambushed near the Niger-Mali border, an area where several Islamic extremist groups, including the Islamic State and Boko Haram, have been known to operate. The Islamic State in the Sahel, believed to be a relatively new offshoot of the Islamic State, is believed to be responsible for the attack.
Johnson’s death and the circumstances surrounding it led to a political fight between President Donald Trump and Florida Democratic Representative Frederica Wilson, who accused the President of saying that Sgt. Johnson “knew what he signed up for” and forgot the soldier’s name during a phone call with Johnson’s widow, Myeshia Johnson. President Trump called the statements made about the phone call “fabricated.”
Myeshia Johnson also claimed that the Pentagon was not allowing her to view her husband’s body when he returned home. She stated that her requests to see her husband were repeatedly denied and her questions regarding the circumstances of his death have not been answered.
In Niger, about 800 US troops continue to operate in an “advise and assist” role, providing training and logistical support to Nigerian security forces. Another 600 US troops are serving in other parts of Africa, including special forces and support elements for drone operations.
