{"id":67386,"date":"2018-04-17T20:55:21","date_gmt":"2018-04-17T20:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/17\/niger-may-have-arrested-militant-with-ties-to-ambush-on-us-forces\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:34:21","slug":"niger-may-have-arrested-militant-with-ties-to-ambush-on-us-forces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/17\/niger-may-have-arrested-militant-with-ties-to-ambush-on-us-forces\/","title":{"rendered":"Niger may have arrested militant with ties to ambush that killed 4 US soldiers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NIAMEY, Niger \u2014 Niger\u2019s military has detained a suspect who it believes could be the militant leader who was being pursued when an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/03\/06\/probe-finds-deadly-niger-mission-lacked-proper-approval\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">ambush left four American soldiers dead<\/a> in October, the American ambassador said Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Ambassador Eric P. Whitaker told The Associated Press he does not know the identity of the detained suspect but that the head of Niger\u2019s special forces is hopeful it\u2019s a known extremist leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2017\/10\/04\/us-troops-ambushed-in-niger-fatalities-feared\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">the October ambush<\/a> that also left five Nigeriens dead, U.S. forces and their counterparts from the Niger military were pursuing Doundou Chefou, a militant suspected of being involved in the kidnapping of an American aid worker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Authorities on Tuesday were awaiting identification of whether the man in custody is Chefou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDetentions by Nigerien forces are ongoing,\u201d Whitaker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/05\/leaked-isis-propaganda-video-allegedly-shows-deaths-of-us-troops-in-niger-ambush\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"143\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-03-05-at-08.23.29.png.png?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Leaked ISIS propaganda video allegedly shows deaths of US troops in Niger ambush<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Islamic State released a propaganda video Sunday that allegedly depicts the Oct. 4 ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, that killed four U.S. soldiers.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A U.S. investigation into the October ambush, which was claimed by fighters linked to the Islamic State group, has not yet been released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRegrettably, they were ambushed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/2018\/01\/13\/islamic-state-group-offshoot-claims-attack-on-us-soldiers-in-niger\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">ISIS Greater Sahara forces<\/a>,\u201d said Whitaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"767\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18013657879901.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30065\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18013657879901.jpg.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18013657879901.jpg.jpg?resize=300,120 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18013657879901.jpg.jpg?resize=768,307 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18013657879901.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,409 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18013657879901.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,614 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &#8211; These images provided by the U.S. Army show, from left, Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; Sgt. La David Johnson of Miami Gardens, Fla.; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga. All four were killed in Niger, when a joint patrol of American and Niger forces was ambushed on Oct. 4, 2017,  by militants believed linked to the Islamic State group.  The Mauritanian Nouakchott News Agency reported Friday, Jan. 12, 2018 that Abu al-Walid al-Sahrawi with the self-professed IS affiliate claimed responsibility for the Oct. 4 ambush about 120 miles (200 kilometers) north of Niger&#8217;s capital, Niamey.  (U.S. Army via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. officials familiar with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2018\/03\/06\/africom-4-star-faces-questions-on-us-troops-killed-in-niger-ambush\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">the military investigation<\/a> into the Niger ambush said last month that it concluded the team didn\u2019t get required senior command approval for their risky mission to capture Chefou. As a result, commanders couldn\u2019t accurately assess the mission\u2019s risk, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the results of the not-yet-released investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation finds no single point of failure leading to the attack, which occurred after the soldiers learned Chefou had left the area. It also draws no conclusion about whether villagers in Tongo Tongo, where the U.S. team stopped for water and supplies, alerted ISIS militants to American forces in the area. Still, questions remain about whether higher-level commanders \u2014 if given the chance \u2014 would have approved the mission, or provided additional resources for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/13\/fallout-from-niger-ambush-could-scale-back-africa-missions-strip-commanders-of-autonomy\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ARM-AFRICOM.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Fallout from Niger ambush could scale back Africa missions, strip commanders of autonomy<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A probe into the Niger ambush that killed four U.S. soldiers is expected to recommend reducing ground missions in West Africa and stripping field commanders of the autonomy that allows them to send service members on risky missions.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before October, there had not been any major incursion like that into Niger before, said the commander of Special Operations Command Africa, Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks, who warned that the extremist threat has been marching south in the Sahel at an unprecedented level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Threats in the region include al-Qaida-linked fighters in Mali and Burkina Faso, Islamic State group-affiliated fighters in Niger, Mali and Nigeria and the Nigeria-based Boko Haram. All take advantage of the vast region\u2019s widespread poverty and poorly equipped security forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2017\/10\/25\/mission-in-niger-is-one-special-forces-have-engaged-in-since-jfk\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635836359174700598-dfn-nigeriajpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Mission in Niger is one Special Forces have engaged in \u2018since JFK\u2019<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The deaths of four U.S. soldiers in Niger in an early October ambush has cast a spotlight on a once-obscure mission in the West African nation.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. special operations forces have been advising local troops on the continent for years, just under 1,000 across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even before the October attack, the U.S. began to shift away from assisting tactical units on the front lines toward training, advising and assisting farther up the chain of command at the battalion level, Hicks said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this story from Washington.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Niger\u2019s military has detained a suspect who it believes could be the militant leader who was being pursued when an ambush left four American soldiers dead in October, the American ambassador said Tuesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":79254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,12,25,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2901],"class_list":["post-67386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"IL43HWDM6JBA7PMTBOPNSPKGRM","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/17\/niger-may-have-arrested-militant-with-ties-to-ambush-on-us-forces\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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