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Ex-UFC fighter Tim Kennedy injured in Congo as Blackwater founder Erik Princes forces take heavy casualties
Blackwater founder Erik Prince’s forces suffered a major battlefield loss in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-September when enemy forces ambushed them, killing and wounding at least 20 people, including a popular former UFC fighter, sources close to the government and his company said.The frontline clash shows how Prince, an ally and supporter of US President Donald Trump, has taken on an expanded role in Congo through his company Vectus Global.The company, which also operates in Haiti and other parts of Africa, provides consulting and security services and previously helped Congo’s army secure the city of Uvira in South Kivu against Rwanda-backed rebels who control swathes of the east.A veteran special operator reported on his podcast earlier this week that former US Green Beret and Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant Tim Kennedy was injured in Congo.
The involvement of Prince’s forces and the number of casualties have not previously been reported.The attack in South Kivu on September 17 left about 20 dead and wounded, two sources working with Congo’s government said.The dead included at least seven Congolese and a former member of New Zealand’s Special Forces, while the wounded included Kennedy and another foreign contractor, the sources said.A Vectus Global representative declined to comment.
The company has not previously suffered casualties in Congo, a source with direct knowledge of the operation said.One of the sources who works for Congo’s government said that Rwandan forces backing the M23 rebels may have surprised them by tracking a drone used for surveillance operations to their location.Spokespeople for the Congolese and Rwandan governments and for the M23 did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Kennedy, the former mixed martial arts fighter, survived the attack with three gunshot wounds to the leg, three sources said, and is being treated at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Cent...