New details emerge after UFC veteran Tim Kennedy survives being shot multiple times in Congo ambush

On September 17, Tim Kennedy was caught in an ambush during a military operation in the Congo.

The former UFC middleweight has a respectable history as a U.S. Army Green Beret, notably serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Upon retirement from mixed martial arts and unsatisfied with winding down his all-action lifestyle, Kennedy re-enlisted in the military. Almost a decade later, the 47-year-old was moments away from losing his life during a gunfight in Africa. More details have now been released about the altercation that took the life of former New Zealand SAS member Lance Corporal Justin Conaglen and also left Kennedy with three bullet wounds in his leg.

Tim Kennedy was working as part of a foreign contractor element alongside the aforementioned Conaglen and a third, unnamed contractor who was also wounded. The operation is being linked to Vectus Global, a private military and security firm led by Blackwater founder Erik Prince.

After reports surfaced earlier this week, little else was revealed, and all but those involved were left in the dark about the mission’s purpose. The reason for their entry into the Democratic Republic of the Congo has now been confirmed. Sources close to the Congolese government said the hired forces were assigned to a ground-clearing operation. Kennedy and his squad were tasked with protecting mining revenue, combating smuggling, and collecting taxes for the government.

Initial reports of the gunfight weren’t nearly as bad as the true outcome. Alongside Conaglen’s death and Kennedy and another unnamed operator being wounded, the entire confrontation resulted in about 20 casualties, dead or wounded; at least seven were Congolese nationals and villagers.

Tim Kennedy was allegedly medevaced back to the United States, just outside of Washington, D.C., where he remains in a bid to recover both physically and mentally from the traumatic events.