Army Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four U.S. soldiers killed in an attack in Niger in early October, may have been kidnapped by Islamic militants, CBS News reported Friday.
The Pentagon has not given an explanation for how Johnson became separated from the three other soldiers whose bodies were seen by villagers slumped dead in their truck.
"Two of the bodies were in the vehicle and another on the ground. They had been stripped of their uniforms," village elder Adamou Bububaker said.
U.S. and Nigerian soldiers had stopped in the village of Tongo Tongo for supplies when they came under heavy fire by attackers who appeared on motorbikes. Villagers said the battle lasted over two hours.
Johnson's body was found two days later about half a mile away in bushes. Nigerian military sources told CBS News they believed ISIS fighters had decided to try and kidnap Johnson. He had been shot and his hands bound with rope.
The soldiers had been instructed to stay in the area overnight, despite reports that more than a dozen extremist groups were operating in the vicinity.
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