US Troops in Iraq Under Fire From ISIS on ‘Regular Basis’

Pentagon Says Attacks 'Ineffective' So Far

Though the Pentagon has denied previous reports that US ground troops in the Anbar Province had engaged in any combat with ISIS, they today conceded that those 320 troops at the Ayn al-Asad airbase are under fire from ISIS on a “regular basis.”

So far, they are only facing indirect mortar fire from ISIS fighters in the region, but with reports of ISIS expanding closer to the base, that may get more and more dangerous.

For now, however, the Pentagon is shrugging off the attacks as “ineffective,” and says there has not only been no injury from any ISIS strikes on the US, but no damage to US equipment there either.

Pentagon officials do, however, continue to insist the troops have a “inherent right of self-defense,” and with those ground troops stuck right in the middle of the most war-torn province in Iraq, that’s going to mean increased fighting going forward.

Though the Obama Administration insists they have no intention of getting into a ground war in Iraq, they’ve put the troops on a base that ensures growing conflict, and excuses to escalate.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.