Officials Parsing Words Over ‘Combat’ in Iraq
Officials Parsing Words Over 'Combat' in Iraq by Kristina Wong, The Hill
The raid to free captives held by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is bringing up uncomfortable questions for the Obama administration.
U.S. special operations forces not only engaged in combat with ISIS fighters last week for the first time, but they also called in airstrikes from the ground, according to defense officials.
After a U.S. and Kurdish Peshmerga team conducted a raid to rescue 70 Iraqi hostages from an ISIS prison compound in northern Iraq, U.S. forces then called in airstrikes from F-15 fighter jets that leveled the compound.
“After the hostages were safe, American F-15s flattened the Daesh prison,” said Army Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, on Saturday.
The White House, however, has repeatedly suggested U.S. troops would not face combat in Iraq…
