U.S. and Iraqi troops board helicopters during a 2009 training exercise. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org)
WASHINGTON — The first American killed in combat in Iraq since the war against Islamic State began there in 2014 died during a rescue operation to free captives who faced “imminent mass execution,” Pentagon officials said.
U.S. and Iraqi special operations forces raided the compound in northern Iraq where the captives were congregated, freeing 69 Iraqi prisoners Thursday. The raiders killed and captured a number of militants and recovered what the Pentagon called a trove of valuable intelligence about the terrorist organization.
The operation was undertaken near the town of Hawija at the request of the Kurdish Regional Government, the semi-autonomous body that oversees the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a written statement. He said U.S. special operations forces supported what he called an Iraqi Peshmerga rescue operation. The Peshmerga are the Kurdish region’s organized militia.
“This operation was deliberately planned and launched after receiving information that the hostages faced imminent mass execution,” Cook said. He did not say who in the U.S. chain of command authorized the mission but called it “consistent with our counter-ISIL effort to train, advise and assist Iraqi forces.” ISIL is an acronym for Islamic State used by the U.S.
The U.S. service member who died was not publicly identified pending notification of relatives. American troops have rarely, if ever, participated directly in combat against IS fighters on the ground since the U.S. mission began in August 2014. Mostly, their role has been limited to training and advising Iraqi and Kurdish forces, while U.S. warplanes have provided daily airstrikes in IS-held areas of Iraq.
In a separate statement, the Kurdish government said the operation lasted about two hours and was led by its counterterrorism forces, with support from coalition troops. It made no mention of intelligence indicating the captives were in imminent danger of mass execution, as asserted by the Pentagon.
The Kurdish statement said more than 20 IS fighters were killed in the operation about four miles north of Hawija. It said none of the hostages were Kurds, and it thanked the Americans for their bravery.
The circumstances in which the American died remained unclear, but one U.S. official said it occurred during a firefight at the compound. Cook said the service member was wounded during the mission and died after receiving medical care. Cook said four Peshmerga soldiers also were wounded.
Another U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide other initial details, said the U.S. role in the rescue mission was mainly limited to four areas: transporting Iraqi soldiers to the scene in five U.S. special operations helicopters; providing airstrikes before and after the mission; advising Kurdish fighters and Iraqi security forces; and providing the Iraqis with intelligence for the operation.
Cook said that more than 20 of the freed prisoners were members of the Iraqi security forces. He did not say who the others were.
Cook said five IS members were detained.
“In addition, the U.S. recovered important intelligence” about IS, Cook said without elaborating.
U.S. and Iraqi troops board helicopters during a 2009 training exercise. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org)
