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UFC star hurt as at least 20 injured or killed in Africa ambush by Blackwater founder’s mercenaries
American private military contractor Backwater was ambushed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and a number of people were killed, one of them being a popular former UFC fighter.
The company provides consulting and security services and recently helped Congo's army secure the city of Uvira in South Kivu against Rwanda-backed rebels.
Founder Erik Prince, who also owns private security and logistics firm Vectus Global, which is rapidly expanding in the Congo, is a vocal ally and friend of Donald Trump.
It was announced that a former UFC fighter was injured in the attack on a podcast
The attack in South Kivu on September 17 left about 20 dead and wounded, two sources working with Congo's government said.
On a podcast earlier this week, a veteran special operator announced that former US Green Beret and Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant Tim Kennedy was injured in Congo.
According to the report, the former mixed martial arts fighter survived the attack with three gunshot wounds to the leg, and is being treated back on US soil at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington.
Until news of the former fighter broke, the number of casualties had not previously been declared.
The tragic attack also killed Justin Conaglen, a former member of New Zealand's elite Special Air Force. The NZSAS lance corporal had in fact taken unpaid leave from the military in March before officially leaving the armed forces in August. His body has since been returned to his grieving family in Auckland.
The ambush is largely believed to have been carried out by the Rwandan military
Sources told Reuters that the attack happened when the Vectus team was traveling between locations and its sophistication suggested Rwandan forces were involved.
The source said: “It reinforces the need for DRC sovereignty to be restored. It's an incredibly dangerous place right now.”
Two other sources said the ambush was carried out by the Rwandan military.
Brent Tucker, a former Green Beret and Delta Force operator, said he had learned details of the deadly attack shortly after it happened but waited until he could corroborate the information before speaking publicly. He claimed that the wounded contractors were left stranded for as long as ten hours before being rescued.
On his podcast, Tier1, Tucker said: “One of the resources you’re going to want is if something goes wrong, someone to come get you and to get you quickly. We also know that didn’t happen.”