ISIS has released a sickening video appearing to show their fighters ambushing and killing four US soldiers in Niger.
The 9 minute, 15 second video appears to be shot from multiple helmet cams on the US soldiers who died in on October 4 in Tongo Tongo, Niger in an ambush by 50 ISIS militants.
The video reveals heartbreaking details about the courageous last moments of the four soldiers, although it is edited with multiple cuts that make the full context of the firefight unclear.
DailyMail.com is not publishing the full video, which is extremely graphic, but the withheld portions are described in detail below.
The attack raised questions about the US military’s role in Niger, where about 800 US military personnel are stationed to train local forces and operate drones.
It also sparked a furious dispute between President Donald Trump and a Democratic congresswoman from Florida who claimed he slighted the family of one of the soldiers.
The ambush occurred as a unit of 12 American special forces soldiers and 30 Nigerien troops returned from the village near the border with Mali, where they had been hunting for a senior Islamic State member.
Killed In Action (clockwise from top left): Staff Sergeant Bryan Black, 35; Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, 39; Sergeant La David Johnson, 25; and Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright, 29
An ISIS militant is seen in footage shot by the group, apparently before the ambush
The video appears to open with footage of ISIS militants riding in light pickup trucks.
An estimated 50 militants armed with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades participated in the ambush, which left 21 of their number dead.
Next, gruesome still photos of the bodies of the American soldiers flash across the screen.
Killed were Staff Sergeant Bryan Black, 35; Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, 39; Sergeant La David Johnson, 25; and Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright, 29.
The helmet cam portion of the video begins with the Americans pinned down under gunfire next to a tactical truck and a Toyota Landcruiser.
Together with a few Nigerien allies, the US soldiers move with each vehicle toward colored smoke grenades that have been deployed for cover and to alert air support.
It would be two hours later until French jets arrived to provide air support.
Soldiers walk next to each vehicle, laying down suppressive fire as the vehicles roll over the desert scrub.
The helmet cam video begins with the Americans pinned down under gunfire next to a tactical truck (pictured) and a Toyota Landcruiser
Soldiers take cover by the Landcruiser (far left) and the tactical truck (door on right edge)
The tactical vehicle is seen in the background from next to the Landcruiser
The US soldiers use the Landcruiser for cover as they drive it toward colored smoke that has been deployed to obscure their retreat and signal air support
After a cut, it appears that the Nigerien support personnel and tactical vehicle are gone, and three US soldiers are making a final stand by the Landcruiser.
The driver of the Landcruiser steers it from a prone position, with his legs sticking out the passenger side door, as two other soldiers move along side firing at the enemy.
One of the US soldiers walking by the Landcrusier crumples to the ground in the chaos. He appears dead.
The soldier wearing the helmet cam, who appears to be La David Johnson, checks the body. The driver of the Landcruiser jumps out and helps Johnson drag the downed soldier to cover.
A firefight ensues. Automatic weapons fire from multiple directions is heard.
Johnson crouches by the rear of the Landcruiser, the ground around him covered in shell casings. The other soldier crouches by the hood of the vehicle.
Johnson checks his weapon and gestures. He appears to be out of ammunition.
He and the other soldier spring from behind the Landcruiser and make a run for it.
French jets took two hours to arrive on the scene, leaving the US soldiers pinned down
Three of the soldiers make their final stand around an unarmored Toyota Landcruiser
One soldier signals for the driver of the Landcruiser to get down as he fires across the hood
A soldier believed to be La David Johnson returns fire from near the rear of the Landcruiser
The two soldiers sprint for some time within sight of each other. Bullets raise puffs of dust around the two men as they run.
Johnson screams and falls to the ground. The screams continue as he struggles to rise and falls back to the hard-packed dirt.
Blood pools next to Johnson as he lies on the ground. He is breathing quickly and shallowly.
Large-caliber machine gun fire rips through Johnson as he lies on the ground, blowing his watch off his wrist.
Three masked militants stride around Johnson armed with AK-47s. Gunfire rips through his body again. Blood pours onto the dirt in front of his face. The camera cuts off.
Additional video shot by the militants shows the bodies of two of the dead US soldiers.
What appear to be the bodies of Wright and Jeremiah Johnson lie near each other. Both have been stripped of their helmets, body armor and boots, and have severe injuries to their faces and necks.
There are indications of post-mortem mutilation to both bodies.
After the video’s release, an online channel associated with ISIS encouraged would-be lone wolfs to draw inspiration from it and attack citizens of ‘Crusader coalition countries’, according to to SITE Intelligence Group.
Although questions remain about how the attack unfolded, the Pentagon has remained tight-lipped about the circumstances of the ambush and the nature of the mission while it conducts a probe.
The body of La David Johnson was not found until two days after the ambush, sparking speculation that he had been taken hostage.
The new video appears to support the military’s finding that Johnson died in a hail of gunfire, hit as many as 18 times as he took cover in thick brush, fighting to the end.
A medical examination concluded that Johnson was hit by fire from M-4 rifles – likely stolen by the insurgents – and Soviet-made heavy machine guns.
Johnson’s combat death led to a political squabble between President Donald Trump and a Democratic congresswoman from Florida after Trump told Johnson’s pregnant widow in a phone call that her husband ‘knew what he signed up for.’
Representative Frederica Wilson, was riding with Johnson’s family to meet the body and heard the call on speakerphone. She went on to lambaste Trump on cable news over his wording.
The spat grew to include Trump’s chief of staff, who called Wilson an ’empty barrel’ making noise.