WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The four US servicemen killed in an ambush in Niger had been fully trained and prepared for their mission, Defense Department Spokesperson and US Army Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza said in a statement.
"We can confirm that these men were prepared for this deployment," Baldanza said on Friday.
20 October 2017, 00:44 GMT
The US soldiers, including three Green Berets, were killed alongside five Nigerian troops in an ambush. The Defense Department has blamed the attack on a new branch of al-Qaeda operating out of the neighboring country of Mali.
The four US troops had been trained as part of a Special Forces Group prior to their deployment to a Geographic Combatant Command. And they had participated in extensive team and individual training that focused specifically on their projected mission set, Baldanza added.
