McCain: White House not forthcoming about deadly ambush
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain says the Trump administration needs to explain how four U.S. soldiers were killed in Niger. Bryan Black, Jeremiah Johnson, Dustin Wright, and La David Johnson were told not to expect enemy contact on that mission to meet with community leaders two weeks ago. They were stationed in Niger with hundreds of other U.S. troops, working with local forces to fight terrorism.
President Trump did not mention the lost soldiers until Monday. He was then criticized for how he spoke to the widow of one of the men who died. The president insists he said nothing inappropriate.
It will take an investigation to determine if any warning signs were missed, but Sen. McCain says the administration is not being upfront and he's demanding more information about the attack, reports CBS News' Margaret Brennan.
In a pre-mission briefing they were told "no enemy contact expected," but the group, about 40 in all, were attacked by militants, who the Pentagon now believes are part of an offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
"The patrol that was attacked last week had actually done 29 patrols without contact over the previous six months or so. No indication that this was going to occur," said Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mccain-white-house-not-forthcoming-about-deadly-ambush/ar-AAtImSt?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=edgsp
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