A U.S. Air Force crew
paves a runway at a
new Nigerien air base
near Agadez that will
deploy weaponized
drones. Hundreds of
U.S. airmen stationed at
the outpost will assist
in the regional fight
against terrorist groups,
including affiliates of
ISIS and al Qaeda.
Debra Gannon’s son, Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson, was
one of four U.S. special operations soldiers killed in Niger on
October 4, 2017, when Islamist fighters ambushed their team.
The clash near Tongo Tongo was the deadliest for U.S. forces
in Africa since the “Black Hawk Down” battle in Mogadishu,
Somalia, 24 years earlier. The foggy circumstances of the
gunfight—the subject of much debate—have confused the
families of the fallen, and the public.
Gannon believes her son, along with Staff Sgt. Bryan Black,
Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, and Sgt. LaDavid Johnson, fought
heroically. But in an investigation into what went wrong, the
military laid much of the blame on the team rather than its
senior commanders. The Marine Corps general overseeing
U.S. military operations in Africa praised special operations
units for “serving well,” but pointed out, “This particular team
is not indicative of what they do.”
The military’s conclusions stung the families of the deceased
soldiers and contradicted what they were hearing from other
team members and news reports. “That really infuriated me,”
Gannon says. “They’re trying to make them look bad.”
Gannon’s son was part of a 10-man team training, advising, and
working with 34 Nigerien soldiers. As they returned to base after
searching a campsite recently used by an Islamic State affiliate
leader, they were attacked by more than a hundred extremists.
In a yearlong investigation, ABC News learned from multiple
sources that the Pentagon, in briefings for the grieving fami-
lies, withheld information about the crucial decisions that put
their sons in harm’s way. Most significantly, sources inside and
outside the armed forces told ABC that the team’s captain had
strenuously objected to the mission, calling it too dangerous for
his lightly armed unit, which was given scant intelligence and
no armed backup. He was overruled by his commanders.
“If he had been listened to,” says Hank Black, “my son and
Jeremiah, LaDavid, and Dustin would be here today.”
The Army general who led the investigation into the firefight
said it was his “solemn responsibility” to the families of the
fallen soldiers to be “accurate and transparent.” But in exclusive
interviews with ABC News, family members say they are out-
raged and anguished by the military’s initial conclusions. The
Defense Department has since ordered another review.
Myeshia Johnson, LaDavid Johnson’s widow, says her family
has been through “so much pain and so much suffering,” but
won’t be able to heal without knowing the full truth. “I feel like
they’re covering everything up,” she says. “Just say what really
happened. That’s all you have to do.”
Why did a U.S. mission
in Niger turn deadly?
A NEW DOCUMENTARY QUESTIONS THE
PENTAGON’S ANSWER, WHICH PLACED
BLAME ON A SPECIAL OPERATIONS TEAM.
More about this ABC News Investigative Unit documentary
can be found at abcnews.go.com. National Geographic and
ABC News plan to collaborate on future stories.
BY THE ABC NEWS INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
NIGER ON THE EDGE 135