Reports out of Iraq indicate that American Special Forces “advisers” have engaged ISIS in ground combat for the first time.
ISIS forces attacked an Iraqi Army outpost occupied by more than 100 Americans around 1a.m. local time. The American forces responded “equipped with light and medium weapons, supported by F-18 fighter jets” according to sources on the ground.
According to Shafaq News Iraq,
US troops have entered with its Iraqi partner, according to Colonel, Salam Nazim in line against ISIS elements and clashed with them for more than two hours, to succeed in removing them from al-Dolab area, and causing losses in their ranks, at a time American fighter jets directed several strikes focused on ISIS gatherings that silenced their heavy sources of fire. He points out that the clashes took place between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.
A field commander of the Iraqi Army in Anbar province, said that “the US force equipped with light and medium weapons, supported by fighter force model F-18 “, was able to inflict casualties against fighters of ISIS organization, and forced them to retreat from the al-Dolab area, which lies 10 kilometers from Ain al-Assad base .
Sheikh Mahmud Nimrawi, a prominent tribal leader in the region, said that “US forces intervened because of ISIS started to come near the base, which they are stationed in so out of self-defense, they responded, welcoming the US intervention, which I hope will not be the last.“
The Sheikh continued, “We have made progress in al-Dolab area, in which ISIS has withdrawn from to the villages beyond, after the battles which involved a private American force , and provided a great impetus firearm, and opened hubs around the region enabled them to storm and surprise ISIS fighters.”
Source: Shafaq News
