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U.S. Soldier Killed in Niger May Have Been Executed

Witnesses cited in a new report say he was bound with rope when he was found.

Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger last month, may have been bound and executed, The Washington Post reports. Citing villagers in the area where his body was found, the report says Johnson’s arms were tied with a rope, and witnesses saw a hole in the back of his head, suggesting an execution. Johnson was killed along with three other elite soldiers after their convoy was ambushed by militants on Oct. 4, but questions have arisen over why Johnson’s body was found two days after the remains of the other men. The latest details, if true, are likely to increase scrutiny over the U.S. military’s account of the operation in which Johnson and the other men were killed. The military had initially said there was no indication Johnson was captured by enemy forces. The Pentagon, which has blamed Johnson’s death on militants thought to be linked to the Islamic State, is conducting an investigation into the Niger operation.