Former UFC fighter and retired U.S. Army Green Beret Tim Kennedy was shot multiple times during a deadly ambush in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that left roughly 20 people dead or wounded, according to multiple sources familiar with the attack. Pasted text
Kennedy survived the Sept. 17 attack after suffering three gunshot wounds to the leg, according to the report.
He was later evacuated from the region and is now receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington.
The attack involved a team working for Vectus Global, the private security company operated by Blackwater founder Erik Prince.
Prince, an ally and supporter of President Donald Trump, has expanded his security operations in Congo as his company assists the government with security and military-related work.
The ambush marked the first known casualties suffered by Vectus Global during its operations in the country.
At least seven Congolese were among those killed or wounded.
Justin Conaglen, a former member of New Zealand’s elite Special Air Service, was also killed.
Conaglen had taken unpaid leave from the New Zealand military in March before officially leaving the armed forces in August.
His body was later returned to Auckland, where relatives and former special forces colleagues gathered before his funeral.
A Vectus Global representative declined to comment on the attack.
According to sources working with the Congolese government, forces backing the M23 rebel movement may have tracked a surveillance drone back to the team’s location.
One source said the sophistication of the ambush suggested Rwandan forces may have been involved.
Two other sources directly blamed the Rwandan military.
Rwanda has denied backing M23, while the United Nations and Western governments have accused Rwanda of supporting the rebel organization.
The circumstances surrounding the attack remain disputed.
A Congolese security source said villagers may also have been among the approximately 20 people killed or wounded.
Reuters reportedly spoke with at least 10 sources who either had direct knowledge of the attack or had been briefed on what happened.
Questions are also emerging about how long Kennedy and the other wounded contractors waited to be rescued.
Brent Tucker, a former Green Beret and Delta Force operator, discussed the attack on his Tier1 Podcast after saying he spent time confirming details before speaking publicly.
Tucker said the team involved in the ambush consisted of only three contractors.
“There were three of them,” Tucker said.
According to his account, Kennedy was shot several times, Conaglen was fatally wounded and a third unidentified contractor was also hit multiple times, per the Daily Mail.
Tucker described the group as unusually small for operating in such a dangerous environment.
He also claimed the wounded men were forced to wait between eight and 10 hours before being recovered.
That alleged rescue delay has not been independently confirmed.
Kennedy eventually escaped the conflict zone through Burundi and Johannesburg before returning to the United States for medical treatment.
Before entering overseas security work, Kennedy built a public profile through both his military career and professional mixed martial arts.
He competed in the UFC after serving in U.S. Army Special Forces and later developed a large online following through podcasts and social media.
Kennedy has millions of followers and frequently discusses politics, military affairs, fitness and culture.
The attack has also renewed scrutiny of Prince’s growing operation in Congo.
Prince’s original role reportedly focused on protecting and improving revenue collection from the country’s enormous mineral wealth.
Eastern Congo contains major deposits of tantalum, gold, lithium and other valuable resources but has endured decades of armed conflict.
Vectus Global later expanded its activities into security operations.
Prince’s forces were previously deployed to Uvira after the United States helped broker an agreement for Rwanda-backed rebels to withdraw from the strategic city.
Reports have placed the value of Prince’s arrangement with the Congolese government at approximately $700 million.
United Nations investigators have also identified what they described as a secret military component of the Vectus Global contract, including border security, military advice, aircraft and recruitment of former foreign military personnel.
The State Department has said it does not have a contract with Prince in Congo.
A State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration’s highest priority is protecting Americans and argued that there is no military solution to the conflict in eastern Congo.
For Kennedy, the attack represents one of the most serious incidents of his post-military career.
The former fighter survived multiple gunshot wounds, while others working alongside him did not.
The deadly ambush also underscores the dangers facing private security personnel operating inside one of Africa’s longest-running and most complicated conflicts.
