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Pentagon Insists It is Open About Niger Ambush

© AP Photo / WPLGIn this Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, frame from video, Myeshia Johnson cries over the casket of her husband, Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed in an ambush in Niger, upon his body's arrival in Miami
In this Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, frame from video, Myeshia Johnson cries over the casket of her husband, Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed in an ambush in Niger, upon his body's arrival in Miami - Sputnik International
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The Pentagon has responded to Congressional complains that the lawmakers weren't provided enough information on the deadly attack in Niger which has left four US servicemen dead and two injured, saying that it "has done all it can" to keep the related House and the Senate committees "up to date."

The members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee were briefed about the deadly attack on the US military in Niger on October 4 in a closed session, Pentagon chief spokeswoman Dana White told reporters on Thursday.

"We have kept them up to date. Of course we will work with Sen. McCain and his staff to ensure they get everything that they need," she said."It is very important to [Defense Secretary James Mattis] and he is personally dedicated to that."

© REUTERS / Aaron J. Jenne/U.S. Air ForceA U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright of Lyons, Georgia, at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, U.S. on October 5, 2017
A U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright of Lyons, Georgia, at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, U.S. on October 5, 2017 - Sputnik International
A U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright of Lyons, Georgia, at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, U.S. on October 5, 2017

Pentagon's comments come in response to the warning of Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) that he might summon to court to gain the additional information on the deadly incident as the Trump administration had not provided enough details to the committees.

Similar complaints regarding the lack of the specifics of the attack came from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN), who also said that they have not been given "what they should."

Dana White, however, did not specify who particularly briefed the lawmakers.

United States Forces Korea (USFK) soldiers line-up during a display of military equipment at Yongsan US military base in Seoul. (File) - Sputnik International
‘Why Is the US Even There?’ Anti-War Critics Question American Presence in Niger
The Pentagon spokeswoman also refuted the claims of John McCain, who earlier said that the lawmakers "did not know about Niger until it came out in the paper." She specified that the Defense Department notified the leadership and both committees of the ambush on the afternoon of the day it occurred, "updating them both via phone calls and emails throughout the situation.”

"I would say that we have done all we can and will continue to strive to do as much as we can to ensure that Sen. McCain and all the members of the [Senate Armed Services Committee] and the [House Armed Services Committee] have exactly what they need when they need it," she concluded.

The US military has launched a formal investigation into the deadly attack, during which a dozen US soldiers from the 3rd Special Forces Group and 30 to 40 Nigerien troops were ambushed by suspected Daesh (ISIS) affiliated terrorists on the Niger-Mali border.

Eight hundred US troops are stationed in Niger, acting in a training and advisory capacity to the country's military as well as flying their own reconnaissance drone missions. France is the main military backer of the government of the former French North Africa colony in its battle against militant groups.

White House Chief of Staff Defends President Trump's Call to Families of the Killed Soldiers

The US President has been strongly criticized for his "insensitive" remarks to the families of the killed soldiers. Democratic Representative Frederica Wilson, who said that she heard the remarks, earlier revealed that Donald Trump told Myeshia Johnson, the pregnant widow of 25-year-old Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed in Niger, that the soldier "knew what he signed up for."

© REUTERS / US Army Special Operations CommandA combination photo of U.S. Army Special Forces Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson (L to R), U.S. Special Forces Sgt. Bryan Black, US Special Forces Sgt. Dustin Wright and US Special Forces Sgt. La David Johnson killed in Niger, West Africa on October 4, 2017, in these handout photos released October 18, 2017.
A combination photo of U.S. Army Special Forces Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson (L to R), U.S. Special Forces Sgt. Bryan Black, US Special Forces Sgt. Dustin Wright and US Special Forces Sgt. La David Johnson killed in Niger, West Africa on October 4, 2017, in these handout photos released October 18, 2017. - Sputnik International
A combination photo of U.S. Army Special Forces Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson (L to R), U.S. Special Forces Sgt. Bryan Black, US Special Forces Sgt. Dustin Wright and US Special Forces Sgt. La David Johnson killed in Niger, West Africa on October 4, 2017, in these handout photos released October 18, 2017.

On Thursday, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly defended the President, saying that he had "bravely" called the families of four fallen American soldiers.

"Most Americans don’t know what happens when we lose one of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines or Coast Guardsmen in combat," he said during his press briefing. He went on to describe the whole process.

In this image provided by the US Air Force, a US Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright of Lyons, Ga., late Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017, upon arrival at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga., was one of four US troops and four Niger forces killed in an ambush by dozens of Islamic extremists on a joint patrol of American and Niger Force. - Sputnik International
Niger Green Beret Slaying Exposes West's Unacknowledged Conflicts in Africa
"Their buddies wrap them up in whatever passes as a shroud, put them on a helicopter as a routine and send them home. Their first stop along the way is when they’re packed in ice, typically at the airhead, and then they’re flown to, usually, Europe, where they’re then packed in ice again and flown to Dover Air Force Base, where Dover takes care of the remains, embalms them, meticulously dresses them in their uniform with the — with the medals that they’ve earned, the emblems of their service, and then puts them on another airplane linked up with a casualty officer escort that takes them home."

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