ISIS: Third U.S. Combat Death in Iraq

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Tue May 03, 2016 at 04:53:25 PM EST
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The U.S. has confirmed a navy SEAL was killed today by ISIS fire.

On Tuesday, a U.S. Navy SEAL was killed by “direct fire” about three miles from the front lines north of Mosul after Islamic State fighters penetrated Kurdish peshmerga forces, U.S. officials said. It was the third U.S. combat death in Iraq linked to the fight against the Islamic State.

The name of the U.S. base is Firebase Bell. On March 19, Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin was killed in a rocket attack on the base.

Lt. Col. Helan Mahmood, the head of a commando regiment in the Iraqi army, was asked about the U.S. and "no boots on the ground."

Mahmood chuckled and shrugged when asked whether there were still no U.S. “boots on the ground” in Iraq, as President Obama initially repeatedly pledged. “They’ve become more active, and for us, it’s had a positive result,” he said.

Another Iraqi military leader, Maj. Gen. Najim al-Jabouri, who heads up the Nineveh Operations Command, which is overseeing the U.S. buildup towards retaking Mosul says.

“They know very well it’s not just the Iraqi army in the field,” he said. “It’s also the American air force and advisers with us, and artillery.”

Meanwhile, ISIS released a graphic showing it engaged in 83 suicide operations in April, 2016.

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ISIS: Third U.S. Combat Death in Iraq | 2 comments (2 topical)

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That is a goodarticle on increasing troops in Iraq (none / 0) (#1)
by Green26 on Tue May 03, 2016 at 05:22:49 PM EST

Firebase Bell has 200 marines. This is where a marine was killed in a rocket attack in March.

"the official troop count has mushroomed to 4,087, not including those on temporary rotations, a number that has not been disclosed."

I assume the number is considerably larger, if the often secretive special ops troops were included.

"An operation for Mosul itself still appears distant, though. It will involve coordinating a mix of Sunni tribal fighters, Kurdish forces, Iraqi armed forces and Shiite and Christian militias, putting U.S. forces in the midst of a potentially drawn-out and complex battle for the ethnically and religiously mixed region."

SOFA? (none / 0) (#2)
by Green26 on Tue May 03, 2016 at 06:58:16 PM EST

Does the US have a written status of forces agreement with Iraq now? The last time I googled hard, I found only a reference to some oral understanding, but no written agreement. Does anyone know or have a cite? Thx.