0 WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military has started investigating an ambush in Niger that left four U.S. soldiers dead and two others injured earlier this month, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Thursday, amid public calls for more information about the attack.
"The loss of our troops is under investigation," Mattis told reporters. "We investigate anytime we have our troops killed, whether it be in a training accident or combat."
The Pentagon boss' comments came in the midst of a growing list of unanswered questions about the Oct. 4 incident and President Donald Trump's delayed and reportedly inappropriate response to the aftermath.
Mattis said the body of Sergeant La David Johnson, one of the fallen soldiers, was found by non-U.S. troops. The ambush was believed to have been staged by militants affiliated with Islamic State fighters.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said during a White House press briefing Thursday that it is routine for Pentagon to investigate incidents where U.S. service members are killed.
"An investigation doesn't mean anything was wrong, an investigation doesn't mean people's heads are going to roll. The fact is, they need to find out what happened and why it happened," Kelly said.
The four Americans and at least four more Nigerian soldiers were killed in the ambush. The incident occurred when a dozen U.S. soldiers and 30 to 40 Nigerian troops were leaving a town along the border between Niger and Mali on a routine patrol.
Pentagon said the routine patrol had been conducted nearly 30 times in the past six months without any incident.
The inquiry will look into the location of the incident, whether the forces were adequately equipped or prepared for the attack, and how Johnson was left behind.
The Niger incident is the deadliest overseas attack on the U.S. military under the Trump presidency.
After being criticized for not speaking publicly about the attack and controversial claims on how his predecessors responded to fallen soldiers, Trump was accused of disrespecting Johnson's family in a condolence call.
