Pentagon looking into images purporting to show US soldiers killed in Niger

The U.S. military is reviewing images posted on social media purportedly showing dead American soldiers from the Oct. 4 ambush in Niger.

One author and researcher posted on Twitter that a video broadcast by an affiliate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) lasted more than 10 minutes and included scenes of a wounded soldier and the bodies of the three other U.S. soldiers killed in the ambush.

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a statement it is aware of the images on Twitter and is investigating the claims.

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“USAFRICOM is aware of a post on Twitter purporting to show a US Soldier from the Oct. 4 ambush in Tongo Tongo, Niger,” AFRICOM said in a release.

“We are reviewing the post and determining the veracity of the tweet and the assertions that there is an associated video,” officials continued.

“We cannot comment further on this issue, or the ongoing investigation related to the Oct. 4 ambush until the investigation is complete.”

Twelve U.S. Army soldiers and 30 Nigerian forces were ambushed by as many as 50 militants traveling by vehicle who were armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades about 150 miles north of Niger’s capital, near the village of Tongo Tongo. 

The attack also wounded two other U.S. soldiers and eight Nigerian troops. 

In December, it was reported that the attack was likely avoidable and the result of an improperly executed mission to collect information on high-ranking ISIS militants in the region.

The U.S. has roughly 800 troops in the region to deal with Boko Haram, which reportedly has pledged loyalty to ISIS, as well as al Qaeda militants.