US Army’s elite Delta Force operations to target, capture and kill top ISIS operatives commenced in Iraq.
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The Pentagon also deployed approximately 50 special operation forces in Syria to assist and advise anti-Daesh forces in the north, including the PYD, Turkmens and Syrian Arabs.
According to US Army Colonel Steve Warren, there are now more than 3,800 US forces on the ground in Iraq to “train and equip” local security forces against foreign-backed militants. USA officials cautioned that it could be a months-long fight including Iraqi forces that have yet to be tested in combat, and that the composition of the force to take Mosul has not been decided.
The Islamic State is not only a terrorist organization, but they appear to be smart investors too. It’s part of a new mission to kill or capture militant operatives. Once American military and intelligence officers have finished their questioning, the US plans to hand the man over to the custody of the Iraqi government for trial, although American troops would still have access to him in the Iraqi system.
Iraqi and Kurdish military spokesmen declined immediate comment, said Reuters.
When operating inside Iraq, the ETF’s operations will be coordinated with Iraqi authorities, however, they will act unilaterally in Syria if needed, officials said. Freeing hostages and prisoners of ISIL and making it such that ISIL has to fear that anywhere, anytime it may be struck.
Obama officials have ruled out transporting the detainee to an American detention facility, including Guantanamo Bay, as the President seeks to close the jail before his term in office ends.
Several Defense Department officials declined to say how much information or cooperation they have received from the detainee.
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Similar raids were conducted in the southern Iraqi town of Ramadi in December where Special Forces, assisted by a targeted bombing campaign, pushed ISIS from the city.
