Report: US Ground Troops Clash With ISIS in Iraq’s Anbar Province

US Troops Joined 'Counter-Attack' Against ISIS Near Base

It hasn’t been confirmed by the Pentagon yet, but reports out of Iraq say that US ground troops have engaged in their first combat against ISIS troops in the Anbar Province of western Iraq.

The troops, nominally advisers but “equipped with light and medium weapons” carried out an attack on ISIS troops in the al-Dolab area, near the Ain al-Assad base, expelling the ISIS forces.

Iraqi officials say that the conflict took place overnight on Sunday, and that they considered the offensive operation “self defense” because the ISIS troops were sort of close to the base they were stationed at.

ISIS suffered an unknown number of casualties, and withdrew its troops to nearby villages. There were no reports of US casualties, though the US seems eager not to report on its apparent involvement in the ground war in general.

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.