In Memory of Four U.S. Special Forces Soldiers, 4 Nigeriens Killed in Tongo Tongo
In Memory of the Nigeriens and Americans Who Died at Tongo Tongo
Two years ago, we were saddened to hear the awful news that an attack on October 4, 2017 near Tongo Tongo had taken the lives of four Nigerien and four American soldiers.
The men who were lost knew that there were risks in donning a military uniform and working in distant locations far from home in order to improve security for the people of Niger and the Sahel region, but they faced these risks proudly and heroically. When these soldiers fell, we were reminded of the shared sacrifice that our service members make every day to counter extremist organizations, deny them safe haven, and put an end to their destabilizing activities.
We wish for these heroes to rest in peace as we honor them. Of course, we can never fully repay the debt we owe, but we can remember their ultimate sacrifice and continue upholding the ideals for which they stood.
To this end, the United States remains committed to training Niger’s defense and security forces and providing them the equipment necessary to counter regional threats and deter criminal activity as part of our strong bilateral partnership. Our U.S. military and defense colleagues work with Nigerien military and police throughout the country to enable Niger’s defense and security forces to develop and sustain a professional cadre, contribute to peacekeeping efforts, and provide for enhanced capabilities in border security, forensics, investigative capacity, and intelligence gathering. We also assist in training law enforcement officials and first responders to increase their capabilities and capacity to detect, deter, disrupt, and investigate terrorist activities.
Our work with the defense and security forces is just one part of the “3D” approach – diplomacy, development, and defense – that the United States has dedicated itself to in Niger to help achieve our mutual goals. Our development work through the U.S. Agency for International Development, Millennium Challenge Corporation, President’s Malaria Initiative, and Feed the Future food security initiative ranges from improving agriculture and food security to protecting democracy and human rights to sustaining economic growth, reducing poverty, preventing and treating malaria, and helping communities deal with the threat of violent extremism. We assist Niger with development because we recognize that ultimately, there can be no security without development, and development cannot succeed without security. And our bilateral relationship has never been stronger. I believe there’s no more compelling evidence of an enduring partnership between Americans and Nigeriens than the tragedy of blood spilled by our soldiers together on the battlefield two years ago.
Through our various initiatives, we honor the men who fell by showing that they did not die in vain – rather, they were heroes who furthered our continuing efforts to achieve peace and freedom.
Background: Investigation below, opened and closed:
A joint U.S. Africa Command and Niger military investigation team returned to the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger on Nov. 12 in order to gain a clearer understanding of the Oct. 4 ambush, the attack site and the surrounding environment.
This mission allowed the investigation team to gather information and determine the facts related to the ambush that killed four U.S. soldiers and four Niger Force Soldiers.
The onsite investigation is just one part of the General Officer-led Army 15-6 investigation spanning three continents and multiple agencies.
As part of its mission, the AFRICOM investigation team interviewed local villagers; conducted a physical examination of multiple areas of interest related to the attack; and retraced actions leading up to, during and after this ambush.
AFRICOM is committed to carrying out a thorough and comprehensive investigation to ensure the families of the fallen understand what happened and how U.S. and Niger forces can learn from it. We will continue to pursue those who perpetrated this ambush.
The safety and security of our personnel, our partner forces and civilians in the region was of paramount importance during this mission. We went to great lengths during this mission to protect operational security and to ensure we were able to accomplish the operation with minimal impact on the local citizens. Sufficient assets were available in the event we had to respond to an attack that threatened innocent civilians, our partner forces or our own personnel.
AFRICOM will continue to investigate the details surrounding this ambush until we are satisfied that we have learned everything that we can from this incident.