Reports Claim ISIS Commander Behind Death of Four Green Berets Was Killed

‍Author’s note: The weapon Huzeifa is posing with in the below image is allegedly seized from a Green Beret.

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Malian armed forces have claimed they have killed senior ISIS leader Abu Huzeifa, also known as Higgo. Huzeifa is the man behind the 2017 Tongo Tongo ambush that claimed the lives of four Green Berets and four Nigerian soldiers.

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While returning to base from the small village of Tongo Tongo, the soldiers were surrounded by ISIS militants. Vastly outgunned and outnumbered, several were killed and stripped of their belongings.  Eight Nigerians and two Americans were also wounded in the attack, before responding allied forces arrived.

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This ambush remains the largest attack on American forces in Africa since the Battle of Mogadishu. Prior to this tragedy, the general public was vastly unaware of American military presence in Africa. Further investigation into the attack indicated many flaws in planning from leadership, ultimately ending in service members paying with their lives.

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“They were left on their own and it was the Alamo. They were abandoned”, said a parent of one of the deceased. The leadership involved with Special Operations activity in Africa were reprimanded. Following the ambush, AFRICOM has provided troops with armed drones to provide overwatch, switched low visibility vehicles for armored ones, and made efforts to cut the response time for medical evaluation.

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Due to Huzeifa’s involvement in the death of American military members, the Department of State has offered an award of up to $5 million for information pertaining to his whereabouts. In a press statement, a Malian military spokesperson claimed, “The identification and clues gathered confirm the death of Abu Huzeifa or Higgo, a foreign terrorist of great renown.” There is little else known about the operation. However, the leader of a state-allied Taureg militia group claimed he was killed in northern Mali. 

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In recent years, Mali has been plagued with instability. Between 2020, and 2021, there have been two military coups. The current junta struggles to fight off both ISIS and Al-Qaeda linked groups, as well as ethnic separatist militias. With the death of a leader, those rising in the Islamic State ranks will be itching for a chance at being Huzeifa’s replacement. Additionally, the successful killing of a terrorist leader is a further reason for the junta to not transition back to a civilian government. 

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We will remember them: Staff Sergeant Bryan Black, Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, Sergeant La David Johnson, and Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright.

Fallen Nigerien comrades: Goubé Mahamadou Issaka, Yacouba Issoufou, Bagué Soumana, Abdoul Rachid Yerimah.

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