On Thursday, members of the U.S Congress have demanded answers 2 weeks after an attack in the African nation Niger which killed 4 U.S soldiers. The White House defended the slow pace of information and said that an investigation would eventually offer clarity regarding a tragedy that has morphed into a political dispute in the United States. Why were the Americans apparently caught by surprise? Why did it take 2 additional days to recover one of the 4 bodies after the shooting stopped? Was the Islamic State responsible? The deadly ambush in Niger occurred as Islamic militants on motorcycles, toting rocket-propelled grenades, and heavy machine guns. They seized on a U.S. convoy and shattered the windows of their unarmored trucks. In addition to those killed, 2 Americans were wounded. No extremist group has claimed responsibility.
The attack is under official military investigation, as is normal for a deadly incident. The Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John McCain blamed the slow response from Trump administration to requests for information. He said that it may take a subpoena to shake loose more information. The U.S Defense Secretary at the Pentagon, Jim Mattis pushed back said that it naturally takes time to verify information regarding a battle engagement. The loss of our soldiers is under investigation and we in the Department of Defense like to know what we’re talking about before we talk. Mattis did not offer details about the circumstances under which the Americans were traveling but said contact with hostile forces had been considered unlikely. That would explain why the Americans, traveling in unarmored vehicles with Nigerien counterparts, lacked access to medical support and had no immediate air cover, although Mattis said French aircraft were called to the scene quickly.