NIGER
Phone Calls and Open Secrets
The Pentagon is investigating how US troops were caught in a deadly ambush in Niger this month as President Donald Trump wrestles with criticism over his condolence call to a woman widowed by the incident.
Offering the fullest explanation so far from the Trump administration about the ambush, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the ambushed soldiers may have waited more than an hour before they called for help, the New York Times reported. He was reluctant to speculate about the reasons for the delay, but said, “My judgment would be that unit thought they could handle the situation.”
Four Americans and four Nigeriens were killed when they were attacked by around 50 militants, while two Americans and six Nigeriens were wounded.
The incident raised questions, as US troops in Niger are barred from going on missions that could involve contact with an enemy. Though it’s no secret they’ve been in country since 2013, several US senators claimed they didn’t know the US had any troops in Niger, Newsweek reported.
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