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The night when everything went wrong: The exclusive story behind the deaths of Delta Force and SAS operators

Delta Force operators during a nighttime operation against ISIS in Iraq. (Image courtesy of YouTube)

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The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) released the results of an internal investigation last week regarding the deaths of Special Air Service (SAS) Sgt. Matt Tonroe and Delta Force Master Sgt. John Dunbar during a high-value target operation in Manbij, Syria, in March of 2018.

The report retracted the original cause of death, which was given as an Islamic State improvised explosive device (IED), and stated that the two commandos had been killed by friendly fire. The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) echoed both the original MoD statement and the results of the internal report.

In a statement, a USSOCOM spokesperson said, “an investigation determined both U.S. Army Master Sgt. Jonathan Dunbar and Sergeant Tonroe died as a result of the accidental detonation of explosives carried by coalition forces, not by enemy action.”

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Comments

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  • Avatar
    Mic-Mac

    Thank you for clarifying. My sincere condolences to all.

  • Avatar
    Stavros Atlamazoglou

    I concur. The families won't be affected by the cause of death. And I'd argue that the more important thing for them was to know that their loved ones died by the enemy and not by fratricide.

  • Avatar
    Nick Coffman

    That's a good question, Tim. My initial thought it wouldn't have an adverse affect.

  • Avatar
    Stavros Atlamazoglou

    Aaron, the British tabloids will never shun away from a good drama. The least we could do was to set the record straight.

  • Avatar
    Stavros Atlamazoglou

    Good question, Kenneth. And it is very unusual for them to comment on SOF issues. Someone leaked the results of the inquest to the British tabloids, which then went on to mistakenly target MSgt Dunbar.