U.S. Military Investigators: Niger Attack Likely A Terrorist Set-Up | Morning Joe

>> THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT. THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR
GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY. SO LET'S START THIS MORNING
WHERE WE ARE LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THATTED THELY
AMBUSH IN NIGER NEARLY THREE WEEKS AGO.
THREE U.S. MILITARY OFFICIALS THAT HAVE BEEN BRIEFED ON THE
FIRST-HAND NOW TELL NBC NEWS THAT AN EMERGING THEORY AMONG
INVESTIGATORS FROM THE PENTAGON IS THAT THE PATROL MAY HAVE BEEN
SET UP BY TERRORISTS. THEY MAY HAVE BEEN TIPPED OFF
INNED A VAPS ABOUT A MEETING BETWEEN THE PATROL AND ELDERS IN
THE VEG OF TONGO, WHICH CONTAINS SIMPLE PEOPLE SYMPATHETIC TO A
LOCAL ISIS AFFILIATE. THEY'RE ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE
HELD UP THE PATROL. THESE TYPES OF MEETINGS ARE
ROUTINE, IT'S NOT CLEAR IF IT WAS A PART OF THE ORIGINAL
PATROL OR IF IT HAD PRIVATE APPROVAL.
YESTERDAY, CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF, GENERAL JOSEPH
DUN FORD GAVE AN UPDATE ON THE INVESTIGATION.
>> WE OWE YOU MORE INFORMATION AND THE FAMILIES OF FALLEN MORE
INFORMATION, THAT'S WHAT THE INVESTIGATION IS ZIEPD TO
IDENTIFY. IT INCLUDES DID THE MISSION OF
U.S. FORCES CHANGE DURING THE OPERATION?
DID YOUR FORCES HAVE ADEQUATE EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING?
WAS THERE A PRE-MENTION ASSESSMENT IN THE AREA ACCURATE?
DID U.S. FORCES BECOME SEPARATED DURING THE ENGAGEMENT?
SPECIFICALLY SERGEANT JOHNSON? AND WHY DID IT TAKE TIME TO FIND
AND RECOVER SERGEANT JOHNSON? >> JOINING US NOW, NBC NEWS
NATIONAL SECURITY AND MILITARY REPORTER WHO HAS THE LEAD BY
LINE ABOUT THE EMERGING THEORY OF WHAT HAPPENED AND NATO
SUPREME COMMANDER AND THE DEAN OF DIPLOMACY AT TUFTS
UNIVERSITY, HE IS THE CHIEF ANALYST FOR NBC NEWS AND MSMBC,
ADMIRAL, AS YOU LISTEN TO THE FACTS THAT WE KNOW SO FAR WHAT
STRIKES YOU ABOUT THIS MISSION? >> WELL, I THINK YOU NEED TO
SEPARATE THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE MISSION AND
THE TACTICAL FAILURE OF THE MISSION, WILLIE, SO
STRATEGICALLY, THE MISSION IN BROAD STROKES MAKES SENSE, WE'RE
GOING AFTER THE ISLAMIC STATE. IT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE
WORLD. NIGER IS NORTH OF NIGERIA, A BIG
PARTNER OF THE UNITED STATES, FRANCE HAS A MISSION NEXT DOOR
IN MALI. STRATEGICALLY IT MAKES SENSE.
WE HAVE A TACTICAL FAILURE, A SIGNIFICANT ONE TO SEE THE JOINT
CHIEFS QUESTION, QUESTION, QUESTION, JUST HURTS YOUR HEART
AS A SENIOR MILITARY. WE'VE GOT TO GET ANSWERS
QUICKLY, NOT ONLY FOR THE FAMILY, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE U.S.
MILITARY AND FOR THE COUNTRY. >> SO COURTNEY, BASED ON YOUR
REPORTING WHAT ARE YOU HEARING THAT WENT WRONG EXACTLY?
WAS THIS A MISSION THE HIGH COMMAND KNEW ABOUT OR IS THIS A
ONE OFF TO GO MEET WITH THE ELDERS THAT WENT TERRIBLY WRONG?
>> IT'S SEEMING MORE AND MORE LIKELY THERE WERE ACTUALLY TWO
SEPARATE MISSIONS WITHIN THIS MISSION.
WHEEL THEY WENT OUT ON A RECONNAISSANCE PATROL EARLY IN
THE MORNING ON THE 3rd AND IT CONTINUED INTO OCTOBER 4th BUT
THERE WAS SOME CHANGE, A NEW TREKS, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT
WAS, GENERAL DUNFORD WAS CANDID ABOUT THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING
THEY'RE LOOKING AT, WHETHER THERE WAS A SEX E SECOND
OFFSHOOT OR MENTION THEY
UNDERTOOK. WHAT WE DO KNOW THEY WENT OUT TO
MEET WITH THESE LOCAL LEADERS, THESE ELDERS, IN THIS VILLAGE
ABOUT THEIR -- THEY ARRIVED ABOUT 10:00 GT GREENWICH TIME.
THEY DROVE A SHORT DISTANCE BEFORE THEY CAME UNDER FIRE.
THEY WERE IN UNARMOURED VEHICLES AND ATTACKED WITH SMALL ARMS,
AK-47s, SO THE SOLDIERS, THE U.S. SOLDIERS JUMPED OUT OF
THEIR VEHICLES AND BEGAN TO RETURN FIRE AND AS GENERAL
DUNFORD YESTERDAY, THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD HANDLE IT.
THE FIRE POWER BEGAN TO OVERWHELM THEM, IT SEEMS, THEY
JUMPED BACK IN THEIR VEHICLES, DROVE A SHORT DISTANCE DOWN THE
ROAD AGAIN AND CAME UNDER ATTACK AGAIN, THIS TIME THERE WERE
TECHNICAL VEHICLES. WE SEEN VIDEOS OF THOSE THEY ARE
OFTEN A TOYOTA PECK-UP TRUCK WITH A MACHINE GUN OR WEAPON
MOUNTED IN THE BACK. AND THIS WAS THE POINT THAT YOU
KNOW, THEY STARTED TO TAKE TERRIBLE FIRE, ALSO MORTARS AND
SOON AFTER THAT THEY CALLED THE IN FOR REENFORCEMENT.
ONE NEW DETAIL THAT GENERAL DUNFORD SHARED YESTERDAY WAS
WITHIN MINUTES OF THE INITIAL TROOPS AND CONTACT THE FIRST
TIME THEY CAME UNDER FIRE, THEY DID GET A DRONE OVERHEAD.
WE NOW THERE IS SOME FULL MOTION VIDEO OF THE ACTUAL INCIDENT OF
THE ATTACK. >> SPEAKING OUGHT "MEET THE
PRESS" ON SUNDAY, ONE OF THE FORMER VOICE, SENATOR LINDSAY
FRAME AND CHUCK SCHUMER WERE UNAWARE OF THE U.S. MILITARY
PRESENCE IN NIGER. >> I CAN SAY THIS TO THE
FAMILIES, THEY WERE THERE TO DEFEND AMERICA, THEY WERE THERE
TO PREVENT ANOTHER PLATFORM TO ATTACK AMERICA AND OUR ALLIE, WE
DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE IN THE WORLD MILITARILY AND WHAT
WE ARE DOING, SO JOHN McCAIN IS TRYING TO CREATE A NEW SYSTEM TO
ANSWER THE QUESTION, WHY WERE WE THERE?
WE WILL KNOW HOW MANY SOLDIERS WERE THERE AND IF SOMEBODY GETS
KILLED THERE WE WON'T FIND OUT ABOUT IT IN THE PAPER AND SKWLON
McCAIN AND GENERAL -- JOHN McCAIN AND GENERAL MATTIS WILL
COME UP WITH ANOTHER PROGRAM, I HOPE.
JOHN McCAIN IS RIGHT TO TELL THE MILITARY, THERE IS NO LIMITATION
ON TIME OR GENTLEMAN OG PHOTOGRAPHY, YOU GOT TO TELL US
MORE. >> I GOT TO ASK, As THE SENATE
DEMOCRATIC LEADER, HAVE YOU BEEN BRIEFED?
>> NOT YET, I HOPE TO BE BRIEFED NET YEAR.
>> YOU HEARD SENATOR GRAHAM, HE DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD A THOUSAND
TROOPS IN NIGER, DID YOU? >> NO, I DID NOT.
>> IS IT SURPRISING LEADING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WOULD NOT
HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THAT DEPLOYMENT?
>> IT IS, IT IS EXTREMELY SURPRISING, IN COLOMBIA, PLANNED
COLOMBIA, WE ARE ALL AWARE OF THAT, THAT'S BEEN GOING ON 30
YEARS. WE HAD 900 TROOPS AT ABSOLUTE
PEAK. >> THAT IS A VERY AWARE OF IT.
WHEN I WAS THE U.S. SOUTHERN COMMAND, I WENT THERE MONTHLY
CHECKING IN ON THEM. I'M VERY SURPRISED A DEPLOYMENT
OF THAT SIZE. >> LET ME ASK YOU, THEY WOULDN'T
KNOW BECAUSE THE PENTAGON HIT IT, THEY DIDN'T BOTHER TO TELL
THEM. WHY WOULDN'T THEY KNOW?
>> BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE STAFF?
>> THERE ARE NOT A REGULAR PATTERN OF DEPLOYMENTS OVER
THERE TO THE CONGRESS, LET ALONE KNOWLEDGE AND DEPLOYMENTS WORLD
WIDE, THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE FOOT PATROL IF YOU WILL IN THE
CONGRESS AND THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A BREAK DOWN BETWEEN STAFF
ON THE HYMN AND THE PRINCIPLES ON THE HILL, BOY THAT SEEMS
UNLIKELY TO ME, IN FAIRNESS THE WAR ON TERROR IS A NOBLE
OPERATION, THINGS ARE MOVING FAST VTH 800, 900 TROOPS, THAT'S
SOMETHING YOU WOULD THINK OUR SENIOR POLITICAL LEADERS ON THE
HILL WOULD BE AWARE OF. >> ADMIRAL, STAY WITH US.
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U.S. Military Investigators: Niger Attack Likely A Terrorist Set-Up | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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