The Pentagon says a rocket fired by Islamic State militants has killed a US Marine in northern Iraq.
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U.S. Marines with the Force Reconnaissance Platoon, Maritime Raid Force, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit fire M4 carbines during a training exercise on January 22, 2016.
He said the Marine outpost, dubbed Fire Base Bell, is “several hundred meters” from the Iraqi base. ISIS is responsible for the attack, which left multiple other marines wounded.
Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder gave an overview of this year’s three operational approaches – coalition-enabled pressure on ISIL to isolate Raqqah, Syria; isolating and eventually seizing Mosul, Iraq; and stabilizing Iraq’s Anbar province, according to U.S. Department of Defense.
It was the second combat death of an American service member in Iraq since the start of the campaign to fight the militant Islamic State group.
“There are no additional forces being sent to Iraq and no US forces in Iraq – none, zero – that haven’t been approved and coordinated with the Iraqi government”, he stressed.
According to Warren, last week the U.S.-led coalition destroyed nine weapons facilities in western Iraq in the city of Hit where “chemical infrastructure” was probably destroyed. Three others were also injured in the attack.
The U.S. believes the firebase was deliberately targeted by ISIS fighters who were aware it was there, Warren said.
The second attack came Monday morning, when “a squad-sized element” of ISIS fighters got close enough to the base for a shooting attack.
Warren said the US presence “will certainly stay as long as it’s required”. It’s assumed ISIS observed the Marines moving into the area and saw them firing practice rounds with their howitzers, the official said.
He told reporters during a teleconference from Baghdad that it was the first us forces controlled artillery base in Iraq since the anti-Daesh war began.
The remaining attackers “ran away in fear”, Warren said.
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Marine officials said Sunday in a news release that Cardin joined the service in 2006 as a field artilleryman and was assigned to Camp Lejeune’s 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines, before his deployment.
