Posted: 12:33 am ET
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Media reports say that Army Staff Sgt. Logan J. Melgar was found dead in his room in embassy housing in Bamako, Mali on June 4, 2017 and that two members of the Navy’s elite SEAL Team Six are reportedly under investigation in his death. One official told ABC News that the death is being investigated by the Navy’s Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) as a homicide and that investigators are looking into Melgar’s suspected asphyxiation.
Sgt. Melgar died in Bamako far from battlefield, in an “odd event” that requires an investigation. But the death occurred in June and even if there is an ongoing investigation, why is the public hearing about this death almost five months after the incident? The death also reportedly occurred in an embassy housing. Since NCIS (and not Diplomatic Security) is investigating, we suspect but that these DOD members are not/not under Chief of Mission Authority (pdf) while at post but under AFRICOM.
To the inevitable next question as to what our troops are doing in Mali, we understand that France is in the lead to counter Al Qaida/ISIS affiliates and the US military works in support of French operations in that country. It is also our understanding that there are six western hostages being held in Mali including one US citizen.
Whoa. Military Investigating Whether Navy #SEALs Strangled Green Beret in Mali via @NYTimes https://t.co/J47Y8QiSTu
— Jeff Stein (@SpyTalker) October 29, 2017
DETAILS: Two members of the Navy's elite SEAL Team Six under investigation for death of Green Beret in Mali https://t.co/wlSqG4D518
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 29, 2017
AFRICOM and the U.S. Army have failed to make any statements despite the brutal murder occurring back in June and the SEALs being named pic.twitter.com/X0YSXmQRuz
— michael adams (@mla1396) October 29, 2017
The military is investigating whether Navy SEALs strangled Green Beret in Mali https://t.co/lb723RjiNl pic.twitter.com/x5nswfn3yw
— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) October 29, 2017
🇲🇱 Security Message from US Embassy in Mali notes ongoing terror threat in Bamako during Eid al-Fitr holiday: https://t.co/XPpST9Vbze pic.twitter.com/3k0z1zTft5
— OSAC (@OSACState) June 23, 2017
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