Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson issued the following statement on the Pentagon's upcoming report on the Niger ambush in which four American soldiers were killed:
"Any day now, the Pentagon is expected to release its highly anticipated report on its investigation into the ambush in Niger during which terrorists brutally murdered my constituent, Sgt. La David Johnson, and three members of his unit. Although the report, originally due in January, is long overdue, there have been many disturbing, and we believe inaccurate, leaks about what the investigation has uncovered that have highlighted a lack of clarity about the unit's true mission and a shocking lack of oversight.
"The media reports all tell different stories. Early on the Washington Post reported that Sgt. La David Johnson had been found by a group of village children with his wrists bound and a gaping head wound. It later published leaked information about the discovery of some of Sgt. Johnson's remains that were found five weeks after his death. According to the Associated Press, he died in a ‘hail of gunfire' and was shot 18 times as he took cover after his three comrades had been killed. More recently, ISIS released a video taken from a soldier's helmet camera that shows them engaged in a ‘fierce firefight.'
"What has been missing from these leaks are the answers that I have been actively seeking for more than five months: How was Sgt. Johnson separated from his unit? How did he end up a mile away from the ambush site? And, why did it take two days to recover his body?
"As I anxiously await the report's release, I fear that I will never know the truth about what happened to La David Johnson. Nonetheless, I do know that I will continue to use every resource in my power to get the answers for his family, my community, and the nation."
