The special operations community was rocked this week when the bodies of MSG Lavigne, a decorated Special Operator and Delta Force member, and Timothy Dumas an Army veteran were found in a training area of Fort Bragg. Details are still hazy, but SOFREP will continue to report on any new information. 

This week brought a host of reports from around the world. At the start of the week, we learned about a gruesome massacre of scores of farmers in Nigeria. While no one has claimed responsibility for the killings, reports suggest that they were carried out by Boko Haram, a regional extremist terror group. In Mali, a series of attacks on coalition bases marked a new wave of coordinated violence against members of Task Force Takuba. In response to renewed clashes in Somalia, the White House has announced the withdrawal of troops from the country And tensions between Iran and the West increased when a second Iranian official was killed in an ambush-style attack. 

An exclusive interview between a Russian publication and a former paramilitary officer pulled back the curtain on the country’s private mercenary army, Wagner PMC, which has been active across the Middle East and North Africa. The interview shed light on Wagner PMC’s ruthless application of force and how it’s acting far outside of political Russian oversight. 

We took a deep look at Afghanistan this week, exploring the reasons behind our nearly 20-year commitment in the region. That report was bookended by the news that a highly respected Afghan helicopter pilot — responsible for the most enemy kills in the region — and his family were being denied entry in the United States. We will keep a keen eye on Afghanistan as we drawdown in the region and the Afghan peace process continues to unfold.