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Was Tim Kennedy really shot in Congo? Concerns for ex-UFC fighter amid reports; what we know so far
Rumors claim former UFC fighter Tim Kennedy was wounded in a Congo ambush, but neither US nor Congolese authorities have confirmed the reports.
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Reports are doing rounds that Tim Kennedy, former UFC fighter and US Army Beret Tim Kennedy has been shot in an ambush in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa.
The information about Tim Kennedy being shot seems to have originated on the Instagram page Atlas News, which shares OSINT-related news updated. It was subsequently picked up by the YouTube channel Valhalla VFT, run by retired US general Beret Nate Cornacchia.
Kennedy, who is a sniper, came under fire with his three-man squad during an operation in the Central African country, the reports claimed.
As of now, there is no confirmation either from authorities in Congo or in the US about the potential injuries to Kennedy in Congo.
Dissecting Rumors Of Tim Kennedy Being Shot In
A detailed account of what had happened was revealed in the Atlas News' podcast, Tier1 Podcast. It was claimed that Tim Kennedy was on an operation in Congo, allegedly for a private military firm associated with American businessman and Blackwater founder Erik Prince. It was also suggested that the ambush may have been caused by Russia's Africa Corps.
The incident reportedly happened on September 17, when Kennedy's team came under heavy fire. He reportedly sustained multiple gunshot wounds, but they were mostly to his leg. The entire ambush lasted for nearly eight hours, as per the video.
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The two other members of the team were identified as Lance Corporal Justin Conaglen and a "former elite New Zealand SAS member," and were killed in the encounter, according to a report by MMAWeekly carried by Yahoo News. Tim Kennedy, meanwhile, was brought back to the US on a medevac plane and is now stable.
Note: Ht.com could not independently verify the claims. None of the details has been officially confirmed by authorities or the stakeholders involved.
Valhalla VFT Speculates Why Tim Kennedy Was Allegedly in Congo
It was US general Beret Nate Cornacchia's speculations about the purpose of Tim Kennedy's alleged visit that caused a major row, making the entire reports double viral.
“Why was he there?" Nate Cornacchia asked in the video. "What they were doing? Eric Prince's company doing contract work tells me probably not humanitarian work, okay? And if you're in the Congo, what do they got a lot of in the Congo? Diamond mines with a lot of slave labor.
“So what I'm hoping we don't find out is that they were doing contract work protecting diamond mines and slave labor and got into a gunfight because of it, okay? I really hope that's not what was going on and that's not what he was attached to. But again, and not saying that's what it was. I don't know.”
Kennedy is a former UFC middleweight contender who was active between 2001 and 2016. He also contended in Strikeforce, the WEC, ShoMMA, HDNet Fights events.
