Tongo Tongo ambush

Tongo Tongo ambush
Part of The War against the Islamic State, Operation Juniper Shield, Operation Barkhane, and the Jihadist insurgency in Niger

The ambush captured by Jeremiah Johnson's helmet camera
Date4 October 2017
11:40 to 14:58 (local time)
Location
Tongo Tongo, Tillabéri, Niger
15°3′11.56″N 1°50′7.85″E / 15.0532111°N 1.8355139°E / 15.0532111; 1.8355139
Result

Islamic State victory

  • US congressional inquiry and DoD investigation[1]
  • Green Beret senior Officers and team leaders disciplined for the outcome of the ambush[1]
Belligerents
 Niger
 United States
 France		  Islamic State
Commanders and leaders
General Thomas D. Waldhauser
Captain Michael Perozeni (WIA)
Sgt. First Class Brent Bartels (WIA)[2]		 Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi[3][4]
Doundou Chefou[5]
Tinka ag Almouner †[6]
Al Mahmoud ag Baye †[6]
Abu Huzeifa[7]
Units involved

Niger Armed Forces

  • Security and Intelligence Battalion
  • 433rd Special Interdiction Company

United States 3rd Special Forces Group

  • Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 3212

France

Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
Strength
35 personnel,[9] 5 vehicles[10][11]
10 soldiers, 1 intelligence contractor[12] 2 technicals,[11] 1 unarmed Toyota Land Cruiser[11]
Reinforcements:
53 commandos,[13]
2 Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jets[14]
2 Tiger attack helicopters
2 Super Puma helicopters
15 aircraft total[15][14]
Niger 3 ground Quick Reaction Force elements of at least 100 soldiers, 1 helicopter
United States 2 UAVs		 100+ militants,[12][16] ~12 technicals,[17][18] ~20 motorcycles[17]
Casualties and losses
9 killed, 10 wounded:
4 soldiers killed, 1 interpreter killed, 8 wounded[19]
4 soldiers killed, 2 wounded[12]		 At least 21 killed [20]
Tongo Tongo is located in Niger
Tongo Tongo
Tongo Tongo
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Location within Niger

The Tongo Tongo ambush or the Niger ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, when armed militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) attacked Nigerien and US soldiers outside the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, while they were returning to base after a stop in the village.[21] During the ambush, four Nigeriens, four US soldiers, and at least 21 ISGS militants were killed, and eight Nigeriens and two US soldiers including the team commander were wounded. In the day preceding the ambush, the Nigerien and US soldiers conducted a mission attempting to locate and capture or kill Doundou Chefou, a commander in the ISGS.[22]

The ambush sparked political debate over the presence of US forces in Africa and brought attention to previously under-reported US military activities in the region.[23] The ambush also prompted congressional inquiries, and an investigation by the US Department of Defense (DoD).[24] The DoD inquiry, completed in 2018, found that the 11-member US special forces team was not prepared for the mission, and identified other flaws in planning.[21]

The ambush remains the largest loss of American lives in combat in Africa since the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (3 November 2018). "An Operation in Niger Went Fatally Awry. Who Is the Army Punishing?". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  2. ^ Callimachi, Rukmini; Cooper, Helene; Schmitt, Eric; Blinder, Alan; Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (18 February 2018). "'An Endless War': Why 4 U.S. Soldiers Died in a Remote African Desert". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  3. ^ Ahmed, Baba; Larson, Krista (19 October 2017). "Jihadist ambush on US forces shows new danger in Sahel region". Bamako: SFGate. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference McLaughlin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Lewis, David; Bavier, Joe (6 October 2017). "U.S. deaths in Niger highlight Africa military mission creep". Reuters. Nairobi/Abidjan. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  6. ^ a b Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Cooper, Helene (29 May 2018). "U.S. Identifies 3 ISIS Militants Who Led Deadly Ambush in Niger". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  7. ^ Yusuf, Mohammed (30 April 2024). "Malian forces kill Islamic State commander". Voice of America. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Sauver des bérets verts" [Rescue Green Berets] (in French). 14 November 2017.
  9. ^ "Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff discloses details about Niger ambush". CBS News. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  10. ^ DOD Video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMuFyzvv9Xw
  11. ^ a b c Pannell, Ian; Radia, Kirit; McLaughlin, Elizabeth (2 November 2017). "American troops caught in deadly Niger ambush told to proceed despite mission concerns". ABC News. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  12. ^ a b c Starr, Barbara; Cohen, Zachary (19 October 2017). "What we know and don't know about the deadly Niger attack". Washington: CNN. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  13. ^ Brennan, Margaret (26 October 2017). "Pentagon acknowledges a second team was on the ground in Niger". CBS News. The Pentagon. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  14. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Le Monde was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (17 May 2018). "We've Posted The Pentagon's Entire Moment-By-Moment Niger Ambush Video Briefing". The Drive.
  16. ^ Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr (10 May 2018). "Military investigation finds series of failures led to deadly Niger ambush". CNN.
  17. ^ a b Ali, Idrees (19 October 2017). "Senator McCain says subpoena may be required to get answers on Niger ambush". Reuters. Washington. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Schmitt Gibbons-Neff was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ "4 Nigerian soldiers killed and 8 injured in Niger ambush". Slate Afrique. AFP. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Radia McLaughlin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ a b Cooper, Helene; Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Schmitt, Eric (10 May 2018). "Military Inquiry Finds Soldiers Were Unprepared in Deadly Niger Ambush". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  22. ^ Kube, Courtney; Dilanian, Ken (8 May 2018). "Leaders of U.S. soldiers killed in Niger filed misleading mission plan". NBC News. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  23. ^ Carter, Phillip (26 October 2017). "Why were US soldiers even in Niger? America's shadow wars in Africa, explained". Vox. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  24. ^ Starr, Barbara; Browne, Ryan (7 February 2018). "US military completes initial Niger ambush investigation". CNN. Retrieved 8 March 2018.