Source: Niger Attack Was 'Massive Intelligence Failure'

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 20: U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis arrives on Capitol Hill to meet with Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), October 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Senator McCain had recently expressed frustration about the lack of details emerging from the Pentagon about the incident in Niger where 4 U.S. soldiers were killed in an ambush. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Confusion around the attack that left four US soldiers dead in Niger earlier this month continues, with the Pentagon investigating whether the soldiers had left a routine patrol to chase insurgents without the proper approval, the New York Times reports. US soldiers say they "noticed" insurgents in the area while conducting a patrol—one the Pentagon says the team has conducted nearly 30 times in the past six months, according to NBC News—but did not chase them. US soldiers say the insurgents later ambushed them. 

But Nigerien military officials say the team, which included Nigerien soldiers, chased the insurgents across the Mali border only to be ambushed on their way back. A mission to go after insurgents would have required approval from higher-ups and would complicate the Pentagon's claim that the US isn't involved in combat operations in Niger.

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