BRKG A "detachment" of USMC on the Ground in Iraq to fight IS

H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
(What does Da Nang look like in Aramaic or Arabic script?.......)

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-usa-marines-idUSKCN0WM0QC

World | Sun Mar 20, 2016 11:44am EDT
Related: World

Some U.S. Marines on ground in Iraq to fight ISIS: U.S. military

WASHINGTON

A detachment of U.S. Marines is on the ground in Iraq to support U.S. and coalition efforts against Islamic State, the U.S. military said on Sunday.

A group of Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU, will add to the U.S. forces already in Iraq battling Islamic State, it said.

The 26th MEU is currently deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, which covers the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
 
N

night driver

ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
Would this have been the parent unit for the Marine we lost a couple days ago in the rocket attack???

Honestly I'm more concerned what Dien Bien Phu or Saigon looks like in Arabic..
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
night driver said:
Would this have been the parent unit for the Marine we lost a couple days ago in the rocket attack???

Honestly I'm more concerned what Dien Bien Phu or Saigon looks like in Arabic..
Click to expand...

Or Khe Sanh....Yes same unit....

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://pjmedia.com/trending/2016/03/20/marine-killed-at-secret-firebase-in-iraq/

Trending

Marine Killed at Secret Firebase in Iraq

By Rick Moran
March 20, 2016
14 comments

A detachment from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit has set up a secret firebase in northern Iraq to support operations of the US and coalition forces fighting ISIS.

Yesterday, ISIS targeted the firebase, firing two rockets, one of which landed inside the base killing one Marine and wounding several others.

Initially, the Pentagon claimed that the Marine, Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, of Temecula, California was killed by "indirect fire" from ISIS. But it seems clear that ISIS saw the Marines moving into the firebase and fired directly into the base.

The existence of a combat unit in Iraq that could be targeted by ISIS was unknown until the rocket attack. The Pentagon claims they were going to announce the existence of the base sometime this week.

CNN:
The Pentagon has yet to formally acknowledge it has established its first U.S. fire base in Iraq in the current fight against ISIS for what the official said will eventually be a limited ground combat operation in support of the Iraqis.

The Marines will be using their field artillery guns in the coming weeks to help defend Iraqi troops as they move towards Mosul. For now, the artillery is to defend another nearby base where American troops are getting 5,000 Iraqi forces ready for the operation to retake Mosul.

The Marines first began moving into the area just two weeks ago from their own base of operations aboard an amphibious assault ship the USS Kearsarge, the defense official told CNN.

The Marines had finished setting up and testing their artillery just two or three days before the attack. There was a brief mention of a coalition fire base in a statement Saturday announcing the death of the Marine, but the official said the only troops there are American Marines and no other coalition forces.

On Sunday, the coalition announced that in consultation with the government of Iraq, the U.S. "has assigned a detachment of U.S. Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the support of Iraqi Security Force and Coalition ground operations. The detachment from the 26th MEU will add to the Marines and Sailors currently in Iraq" supporting the effort against ISIS.

The Marines have already named the location "Fire Base Bell." The U.S has similar artillery at two other large Iraqi bases, but Bell is the only known fire base. That terminology signifies this is a small remote location designed to use its artillery to support infantry troops at forward locations.

Why the secrecy? Probably because President Obama had assured the American people many times previously that there would be no combat troops deployed to Iraq.

Washington Post: (10/30/15)
The White House is announcing Friday that a small number of special forces will be put on the ground in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria -- a new strategy that pretty clearly contradicts past Obama and administration statements that U.S. forces would not be put on the ground there. As the United States got drawn into the fight against the Islamic State earlier this year, the White House repeatedly emphasized this point -- a move to assure the nation that we wouldn't be drawn into a new war like Iraq or Afghanistan.

Asked Friday about the incongruence of Obama's past comments and putting these boots on the ground, White House press secretary Josh Earnest repeatedly emphasized that these are not combat troops -- a distinction that many disagree with, we would note -- and suggested promises to not put boots on the ground were being taken "out of context."

“You’ve read one quote that, to be fair, is out of context," he said when NBC's Kristen Welker pointed to Obama saying in 2013 there would be no U.S. boots on the ground.

But Obama has actually said no boots on the ground repeatedly in 2013, before adjusting his language slightly -- but notably -- in 2014.

Of course, this puts a great big bullseye on the backs of those Marines, billeting them out in the middle of nowhere, making them highly vulnerable to ISIS artillery and rocket attacks.

Is this a way for the president to test the waters regarding a much larger intervention in Iraq? The logic of the situation demands that if Firebase Bell is attacked and we have a significant loss of life, more combat troops will be needed to protect them - and the cycle of escalation begins.

It's one thing to have special operators assisting the Iraqis with training, lasing targets for US warplanes, or assassinating high value ISIS targets.

But Marines are lethal weapons. They are there to kill ISIS fighters and the fact that we are using one of our crack Marine outfits as part of this deployment changes the character of our intervention in Iraq.
 
S

Shacknasty Shagrat

Has No Life - Lives on TB
A MEU has infantry, tanks, rotors, artillery and usually some form of close air support.
Would you trust your child to be defended by our allies in this mess? We either do not have any allies or are allied with both opposing sides.
This deployment sounds like a cluster from the get go.
If 1 of 2 rockets fired at the base, was a hit and killed people, either our good stuff was not there or there was negligence in setting it up.
And calling my fellow Marines 'crack troops' and not supporting them or giving them survivable ROE turns them into cannon fodder.
SS
 
T

TerryK

TB Fanatic
Here we go again.
This time will they send the lawyers with them??
The lawyer decision to shoot will come much quicker if the lawyers are standing in front of the troops.
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Some maps for clarity of what's where....

Makhmur.8.gif

http://www.weather-forecast.com/place_maps/ma/Makhmur.8.gif

THUMB.jpg

http://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/Lightbox/published/345/images/THUMB.jpg

Mosul-Makhmur.png

http://www.imagopyrenaei.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Mosul-Makhmur.png

From the looks of it a fire base there commands a real choke point.
 
N

night driver

ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
TerryK said:
Here we go again.
This time will they send the lawyers with them??
The lawyer decision to shoot will come much quicker if the lawyers are standing in front of the troops.
Click to expand...

The prospect of fragging also increases their response levels....
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Shacknasty Shagrat said:
A MEU has infantry, tanks, rotors, artillery and usually some form of close air support.
Would you trust your child to be defended by our allies in this mess? We either do not have any allies or are allied with both opposing sides.
This deployment sounds like a cluster from the get go.
If 1 of 2 rockets fired at the base, was a hit and killed people, either our good stuff was not there or there was negligence in setting it up.
And calling my fellow Marines 'crack troops' and not supporting them or giving them survivable ROE turns them into cannon fodder.
SS
Click to expand...

Recall my posting a couple of articles about the USMC "experimenting" with company sized units being broken out from the MEUs to maximize their lethality over larger areas of territory than before leveraging communications and firepower a while back? I think that's what we're looking at in action here. I'll look to find the articles/thread and post links.

ETA: Here we go...the thread with the articles....

Marines test 3 big guns in week-long artillery experiment
Started by Housecarl‎, 01-18-2016 02:30 PM
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...-3-big-guns-in-week-long-artillery-experiment

ETA 2: For specifics see post #7
 
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Nowski

Nowski

Let's Go Brandon!
This former US Navy sailor says, get the jarheads out of there.
Already one is dead, and for sure, there will probably be others.

This nation has suffered long enough, from the bullshitz Middle Eastern Wars,
from the Desert Storm I in 1990, to Desert Storm II in 2002.

All of Western Europe is now in flames, because of these mis-guided wars,
attempts to nation build, places were America had no business being.

Jarheads should be guarding US embassies, and stationed aboard the gators,
and at Camp Lejeune, and Camp Pendleton, and no place else.

Bring them back home ALIVE, and not in body bags.

Should Trump be elected, one of his first tasks should be,
bring all US military back home.

To all jarheads everywhere, oo-rah, and Semper Fi.

Regards to all,
Nowski
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://timesofsandiego.com/military...-dies-rocket-fire-hits-military-unit-in-iraq/

Temecula Marine Dies as Rocket Fire Hits Unit in Iraq

Posted by Cassia Pollock on March 20, 2016 in Military | 67 Views | Leave a response

A Marine from Temecula was killed Saturday in northern Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense said Sunday.

Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin died Saturday from wounds suffered when his military unit was hit by rocket fire, the DoD said. The incident remains under investigation.

The DoD says Cardin was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

According to the Marine Times, Cardin was a 27-year-old field artilleryman. He was killed at about 9 a.m. when Islamic State group militants attacked a coalition base in Makmur. There were also eight other Marines injured by the rocket fire.

Cardin became a member of the Marine Corps in June 2006, said the Marine Times. His death marks the second combat death since the Operation Inherent Resolve first launched, which is the U.S. Military’s campaign against ISIS.

“The loss of a service member greatly affects us all. This tragedy saddens II Marine Expeditionary Force and the 26th MEU,” said Marine Officials in a statement to the Marine Times.

No further information was available.

City News Service contributed to this article.
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
buff said:
This is nothing new they've been there for quite awhile.
Click to expand...

Past reports had trainers down south of Baghdad in Anbar. Not ground combat units. The only other incident of "ground combat" involvement in the last 2(?) weeks was a report of ATACMs being fired out of Jordan at IS targets in Syria. ETA: Also that last raid where one of the Deltas was KIA.
 
O

OldArcher

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Nowski said:
This former US Navy sailor says, get the jarheads out of there.
Already one is dead, and for sure, there will probably be others.

This nation has suffered long enough, from the bullshitz Middle Eastern Wars,
from the Desert Storm I in 1990, to Desert Storm II in 2002.

All of Western Europe is now in flames, because of these mis-guided wars,
attempts to nation build, places were America had no business being.

Jarheads should be guarding US embassies, and stationed aboard the gators,
and at Camp Lejeune, and Camp Pendleton, and no place else.

Bring them back home ALIVE, and not in body bags.

Should Trump be elected, one of his first tasks should be,
bring all US military back home.

To all jarheads everywhere, oo-rah, and Semper Fi.

Regards to all,
Nowski
Click to expand...

Concur, 100%, Colonel... As a 3rd generation Navy sailor, I agree. As long as OhAsshole is still usurping as POTUS, ALL US Military personnel should not be placed in harm's way, unless the very safety of the nation itself is at risk... Faux Snooze now says two Marines have been killed in combat with ISIS... More blood on the hands of OhAsshole and his sycophants... They should be arrested, tried, and judgement carried out- the more heavy and extreme, the better...

Maranatha

OA
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.military.com/daily-news/...-marine-combat-death-revamped-isis-fight.html

Marine Combat Death in Iraq Exposes Challenge of Quickened ISIS Fight

Mar 20, 2016 | by Richard Sisk
Comments 7

The first death of a U.S. Marine in combat against the Islamic State in Iraq and the wounding of several others in a rocket attack Saturay highlights the difficulty of the U.S. military's "accelerated" campaign to take back Mosul and Raqqa from the militant group.

The Defense Department on Sunday identified the Marine as Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, of Temecula, California, who died of wounds suffered when the enemy attacked his unit with rocket fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has repeatedly said the military is on an "accelerated," if indefinite, timetable to oust the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria from its two main strongholds. He said last Friday that President Barack Obama has been pressing for it to happen before he leaves office.

"That's what he (Obama) said he wants," Carter said at a Politico Playbook breakfast. "That's what he's told me and Gen. Dunford," referring to Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford.

Carter has said that taking Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of ISIS in northeastern Syria and Mosul in northwestern Iraq were the keys to defeating the terrorist group. Obama has told him to "get this done as soon as possible. I'd like to not leave this to my successor," Carter said.

When asked about Obama's remarks as relayed by Carter, Air Force Col. Pat Ryder, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, echoed previous statements by officials at CentCom, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in Baghdad and Carter himself in declining to give a schedule for taking Raqqa and Mosul.

"I'm not going to put a timeline on it," Ryder said, while adding that the U.S. military was "moving as fast as possible" in concert with the capabilities on the ground of the Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Iraq and with the Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria.

Ryder spoke in a phone briefing from CentCom headquarters in Tampa to the Pentagon on Friday, a day before the announcement of the Marine's death at a firebase in Mahmour, about 60 miles southeast of Mosul.

Using another acronym for ISIS, Ryder said that "ISIL is heavily contesting those areas" around Mahmour to prevent an Iraqi security forces buildup there for an eventual assault on Mosul and also in the area northwest of Baiji, where Iraqi forces have been attempting to clear a path up the Tigris river valley up to Mahmour.

Ryder also noted continuing ISIS attacks in and around Ramadi in southern Anbar province, which Iraqi forces declared cleared on Feb. 9 after a months-long offensive to retake the city about 70 miles west of Baghdad. "ISIL may have lost this terrain but they haven't given up on it," he said.

The Marine killed Saturday and the others who were wounded were "providing force protection fire support at a recently established coalition fire base near Makhmour" and had come under fire from ISIS rockets, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement on Saturday.

"This is the second combat death since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve, and it reminds us of the risks our men and women in uniform face every day," Cook said.

The first U.S. service member to be killed in combat in Iraq since the U.S. began bombing ISIS in August 2014 was 39-year-old Special Operations Army Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler. He was killed last October in a firefight while coming to the aid of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in a raid to free hostages in an ISIS prison near Mahmour.

Wheeler's death appeared to conflict with the rules against "boots on the ground" combat and limiting the U.S. military's role to the air campaign and training, advising and assisting local forces.

However, Carter said shortly after the raid in which Wheeler was killed, "This is combat" and "we expect do to do more of this kind of thing."

Dunford said again last week in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee that operations to retake Raqqa and Mosul had already begun in the form of "shaping" operations to isolate the two cities. He also declined to put a timetable on the assaults.

"It's already started, it's a slow and steady squeeze," Brett McGurk, the U.S. special envoy to the coalition formed to combat ISIS, said in an address last Saturday to the American University of Iraq at Sulaymaniyah, The Washington Post reported. However, "it's going to be a long campaign," McGurk said.

Despite the resilience shown by ISIS, an analysis by IHS Jane's last week said the campaign to defeat the terrorist group was succeeding and had reached a "turning point" in terms of loss of territory and efforts to cut off the group's funding and its ability to recruit foreign fighters.

"The tide of the war is turning against the Islamic State," HIS Jane's said. "The Islamic State is increasingly isolated, and being perceived as in decline."

--Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://mic.com/articles/138399/isis...dged-u-s-marine-deployment-in-iraq#.0RBP7NQTI

ISIS Rocket Attack Reveals Unacknowledged U.S. Marine Deployment in Iraq

Tom McKay's avatar image By Tom McKay March 20, 2016

Like Mic on Facebook:

CNN reported on Sunday that a U.S. Marine slain in a Saturday rocket attack in northern Iraq, Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin of Temecula, California, was deployed there as part of the first (and previously unknown) U.S. fire base established in Iraq in the fight against ISIS.

According to CNN, its reporters learned from a defense official that the Pentagon "planned to acknowledge the firebase," as well as the deployment of regular U.S. ground troops against ISIS in a support role with Iraqi troops, sometime "this week." Currently, forces on site comprise a "couple of hundred" Marines deployed with artillery. U.S. forces believe ISIS fighters saw the Marines "firing practice rounds with their howitzers."

The last combat troops deployed as part of the U.S. military occupation of Iraq beginning in 2003 were pulled out in 2011. However, as the country's security situation deteriorated and ISIS took over large stretches of Iraq, including major cities, the U.S. has again taken a lead role in the coalition of regional governments supporting the government in Baghdad.

In December 2015, Foreign Policy's Paul McLeary wrote U.S. special forces were likely heading back into Iraq. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters the elite troops "will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture ISIL leaders ... [and be] focused on defending its borders and building the [Iraqi Security Forces] own capacity. This force will also be in a position to conduct unilateral operations into Syria."

While Marines have been deployed to Iraq alongside those special forces in the past year, previously acknowledged roles have mainly included diplomatic security and training Iraqi forces.

According to the Marine Corps Times, a fresh detachment of Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are already heading to Iraq following the rocket attack.

Update: March 20, 2016 at 5:28 p.m.

This article has been updated to include additional context on ongoing U.S. Marine Corps operations in Iraq.
 
buff

buff

Deceased
Past reports had trainers down south of Baghdad in Anbar. Not ground combat units. The only other incident of "ground combat" involvement in the last 2(?) weeks was a report of ATACMs being fired out of Jordan at IS targets in Syria. ETA: Also that last raid where one of the Deltas was KIA.
Click to expand...
.

I don't need reports. My info is first hand and I have some USMC buddies that have been in and out.
 
P

Publius

TB Fanatic
With a little luck their CO is ignoring obama and telling them to destroy and you can bet obama is trying to put restrictions on them to the point of getting them all killed.
 
Bubble Head

Bubble Head

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I think I am having a PTSD flash back. Heard all this before. Only thing different is ISIS is using gas on the Kurds. What is to stop them from putting some on top of our marines?
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Bubble Head said:
I think I am having a PTSD flash back. Heard all this before. Only thing different is ISIS is using gas on the Kurds. What is to stop them from putting some on top of our marines?
Click to expand...

Not a damn thing. That happens then things get even more "interesting" because US policy has been to reply in kind when attacked with WMDs. Those rockets (and the prior mortars) reported as being the source of the incoming are pretty much tailor made for chemical weapons.
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Hummm......UK article.....

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...to-Iraq-to-take-on-ISIS-on-the-frontline.html

Thousands of elite US Marines sent to Iraq to battle ISIS on the frontline

Surprise move comes after a member of the Corps was killed by enemy rocket fire

A HARDCORE detachment of US Marines is on the ground in Iraq to take on ISIS, it's been revealed tonight.

The elite group of 2,200 troops will support American and coalition efforts against ISIS jihadis.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) have teamed up with US forces already on the ground.

Up until now, there have been around 3,600 US army personnel stationed in Iraq.

They're leading air strikes against ISIS forces, carrying out humanitarian air drops and providing support to the Kurdish and Iraqi armies.

There have been occasional ground clashes between ISIS fighters and the US-led coalition, but their primary role has been supporting Iraqi and Kurdish ground troops with air strikes.

The 26th MEU was deployed with the 5th Fleet area of operations, which covers the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

The Pentagon's confirmation of their deployment comes a day after a Marine was killed by enemy rocket fire in northern Iraq.

A US official confirmed the individual was an American Marine stationed at the Makhmour base outside the Islamic State group-held city of Mosul.

His identity has not yet been released.
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Washington Post article publicly confirming what Buff reported.....

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ts-use-of-troops-from-navy-ships-in-isis-war/

Checkpoint

Death of U.S. Marine in Iraq highlights use of troops from Navy ships in ISIS war

By Dan Lamothe March 20 at 3:00 PM „³
Comments 5

The death of a U.S. Marine in northern Iraq on Saturday has drawn attention to the deployment of Marines and sailors from Navy ships in the Middle East in the military campaign against the Islamic State militant group.

Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, 27, died about 2:04 a.m. after he and several other members of his unit were hit with enemy rocket fire at a base in Makhmour, a town southeast of the city of Mosul that is near the front line. He was assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Pentagon officials said Sunday while announcing his identity. It is the second combat death in Iraq in the campaign.

[A U.S. Marine is killed in Iraq, the second combat casualty of the ISIS war]

A defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said a company of Marines from the expeditionary unit arrived in Iraq about a week ago. Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the outgoing chief of U.S. Central Command, said in a statement released Sunday night that they were providing force protection for coalition military advisers in the region, where Iraqi security forces are preparing for an operation in coming months to wrest Mosul from Islamic State militants.

¡§Staff Sergeant Cardin¡¦s service and his many important contributions will long be remembered by his fellow Marines, his teammates at United States Central Command, and a grateful nation,¡¨ Austin said. ¡§Our gratitude and heartfelt condolences go out to this young man¡¦s family and friends.¡¨

The defense official did not offer specifics on the size of the unit deployed, but a company typically numbers a couple of hundred troops. The expeditionary unit itself includes about 2,200 troops, and it is integrated to operate on its own with ground troops, aviation units and logistics support.

imrs.php

https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-a.../uploads/sites/33/2016/03/iraq-map.jpg&w=1484

The official said Marines from the unit have moved on and off the ships into Iraq for months. They are traveling with the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, a three-ship Navy unit that includes the USS Kearsarge, the USS Arlington and the USS Oak Hill. It arrived in the Middle East in October. The U.S. troop presence in Iraq is capped at 3,780.

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. He deployed to Afghanistan three times and enlisted out of Temecula, Calif.


Dan Lamothe covers national security for The Washington Post and anchors its military blog, Checkpoint.

Get the Checkpoint newsletter

Military, defense and security at home and abroad, in your inbox twice a week.
 
jazzy

jazzy

Advocate Discernment
man you know things are getting insane when the US govt sends in US Marines to a foreign country to fight the ISIS forces created by the US CIA.

truth seems stranger than a tom clancy book.

may the good Lord watch over and protect those Marines. im gonna pray for them every day.
 
D

Disciple

Veteran Member
I skimmed this whole thread and no mention about what Russia has or has not done against ISIS. Is there any late word? I know Putin said they were pulling out. I had thought they would destroy ISIS by the end of last year. Any thoughts?
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Disciple said:
I skimmed this whole thread and no mention about what Russia has or has not done against ISIS. Is there any late word? I know Putin said they were pulling out. I had thought they would destroy ISIS by the end of last year. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

The "pull out" was actually a shuffle. Attacks on IS have been based upon operational necessities in support of engaged SAA and Kurds.
 
Vtshooter

Vtshooter

Veteran Member
Disciple said:
I skimmed this whole thread and no mention about what Russia has or has not done against ISIS. Is there any late word? I know Putin said they were pulling out. I had thought they would destroy ISIS by the end of last year. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

The Russian "pull out" was from Syria. I don't think Russia has done anything in Iraq against ISIS, but I might be wrong about that.
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
JPost: Hezbollah vows to attack US forces 'defending ISIS' in Iraq
Started by Possible Impact‎, Today 07:02 AM
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...ws-to-attack-US-forces-defending-ISIS-in-Iraq


Oh this is going to be real cute....

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.businessinsider.com/iran-backed-militia-demands-us-withdraw-from-iraq-2016-3

Iran-backed militia says it will 'deal' with US Marines in Iraq as 'forces of occupation'

Reuters
1h

An Iranian-backed militia said on Monday it said it would treat U.S. Marines deployed in Iraq to fight Islamic State as forces of occupation and "deal" with the foreign troops.

Washington said on Sunday a detachment of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit was in Iraq, bolstering efforts by the United States and a coalition of allies against Islamic State.

"If the U.S. administration doesn't withdraw its forces immediately, we will deal with them as forces of occupation," the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia said on its TV channel, al-Ahd.

"The forces of occupation are making a new suspicious attempt to restore their presence in the country under the pretext of fighting their own creation, Daesh," the Shi'ite Muslim militia added, referring to an acronym for Islamic State, a ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim movement.
 
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H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog...ied_after_isis_attack_on_secret_firebase.html

March 21, 2016

Marine killed in Iraq died after ISIS attack on secret firebase

By Rick Moran
Comments 17

A detachment from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit has set up a secret firebase in northern Iraq to support operations of the U.S. and coalition forces fighting ISIS.

On Saturday, ISIS targeted the firebase, firing two rockets, one of which landed inside the base killing one Marine and wounding several others.

Initially, the Pentagon claimed that the Marine, Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, of Temecula, California, was killed by "indirect fire" from ISIS. But it seems clear that ISIS saw the Marines moving into the firebase and fired directly into the base.

The existence of a combat unit in Iraq that could be targeted by ISIS was unknown until the rocket attack. The Pentagon claims it was going to announce the existence of the base sometime this week.

CNN:


The Pentagon has yet to formally acknowledge it has established its first U.S. fire base in Iraq in the current fight against ISIS for what the official said will eventually be a limited ground combat operation in support of the Iraqis.

The Marines will be using their field artillery guns in the coming weeks to help defend Iraqi troops as they move towards Mosul. For now, the artillery is to defend another nearby base where American troops are getting 5,000 Iraqi forces ready for the operation to retake Mosul.

The Marines first began moving into the area just two weeks ago from their own base of operations aboard an amphibious assault ship the USS Kearsarge, the defense official told CNN.

The Marines had finished setting up and testing their artillery just two or three days before the attack. There was a brief mention of a coalition fire base in a statement Saturday announcing the death of the Marine, but the official said the only troops there are American Marines and no other coalition forces.

On Sunday, the coalition announced that in consultation with the government of Iraq, the U.S. "has assigned a detachment of U.S. Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the support of Iraqi Security Force and Coalition ground operations. The detachment from the 26th MEU will add to the Marines and Sailors currently in Iraq" supporting the effort against ISIS.

The Marines have already named the location "Fire Base Bell." The U.S has similar artillery at two other large Iraqi bases, but Bell is the only known fire base. That terminology signifies this is a small remote location designed to use its artillery to support infantry troops at forward locations.

Why the secrecy? Probably because President Obama had assured the American people many times previously that there would be no combat troops deployed to Iraq.

Of course, this puts a great big bullseye on the backs of those Marines, billeting them out in the middle of nowhere, making them highly vulnerable to ISIS artillery and rocket attacks.

It's one thing to have special operators assisting the Iraqis with training, lasing targets for U.S. warplanes, or assassinating high-value ISIS targets.

But Marines are lethal weapons. They are there to kill ISIS fighters and the fact that we are using one of our crack Marine outfits as part of this deployment changes the character of our intervention in Iraq.

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Comments....

Terry L Walker • an hour ago

The problem is not which unit is fighting, conventional, Army, Marine or Special Operations: What is the strategy and where is the campaign plan that clearly defines a "Road to Victory"? What does success look like? How is success measured in the plan? What are the phases of the operation. What resources will be required to successfully execute the plan. Who IS The Enemy!

Soon we will mark the 15 year anniversary of this "Global War on Terrorism" yet nowhere have I seen a National Strategy that clearly, unambiguously declares our mission and endstate. During this same time; I was not just a casual observer. Having served many years, forward deployed, I could never gain the simple answers to my questions above. At the unit level, we knew exactly who we were fighting and our mission was to kill them. It's the Strategy that is lacking and we fail to DEMAND a coherent Strategy and Plan for destroying our Enemy!

Yes, much of our National Strategy will by necessity be classified. But, Americans need to know the "Overarching" blueprint that we are asked to execute and risk life and treasure for. So what is that Plan!

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patrioticsonuntildeath > Terry L Walker • 23 minutes ago

Another Bozo operation dictated by political interests instead of allowing the military to do what is necessary to win decisively.

I dream of the day the Washington calls in the heads of all military forces and says, "OK, guys. The only way to win is to set you free to come up with a plan to win decisively and then set you loose, with no political oversight."

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Sideshowjoe • an hour ago

Those Marines must be barefoot because Ocrappo promised us no boots on the ground....

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BoDeen > Sideshowjoe • an hour ago

Didn't you hear? All the infantry now wears Birkenstocks.
And MREs are all vegan.

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Lance Corvette • 2 hours ago

"It's one thing to have special operators assisting the Iraqis with training, lasing targets for U.S. warplanes, or assassinating high-value ISIS targets."

I fail to see the difference between that and ground combat. We're either engaged in combat with them or not. The author is only pointing out a question of degree.

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Drumlinfarmer • 2 hours ago

Did we ever get a declaration of war? Where's code pink?

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Allston • 2 hours ago

Not so secret, apparently.

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GeezerGeek > Allston • an hour ago

Only a secret kept from the American people. Thanks for the transparency, Barry!

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BoDeen • an hour ago

Baghdad O-bob-ma has assured us that there are no US combat troops in Iraq.

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Stefan Kristen • an hour ago

Moran,
"Indirect fire" doesn't meant that ISIS was out lobbing rocket into herds of mountain goats and happened to drop one on a Marine fire base. That would be a "miss". Indirect fire means that the target wasn't in the direct line of sight of the weapon. You make it sound like using the term "indirect fire" just means it was a lucky shot. Hardly!

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RMThoughts • an hour ago

We talk of fighting ISIS yet never once mentioning the fact that through our Middle Eastern allies are more than capable of strangling completely ISIS’ logistical lifelines and preventing the torrent of foreign fighters and arms from reinforcing ISIS positions in Syria and Iraq .

Instead of holding accountable US’ allies who are clearly underwriting ISIS’ continued and formidable fighting capacity as well as its expansion beyond Iraq and Syria’s borders, several times the committee agreed to work even closer with these allies in what is clearly a disingenuous war on ISIS. Fighting ISIS is but a pretext to remain involved in Syria, Iraq, and now Libya and Afghanistan.


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mhubb • 2 hours ago

so
we are setting up a base, but we do not setup defenses???
there are weapon systems that can shoot down rockets

and track where they came from to hit back at the site

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Shad_ow > mhubb • 32 minutes ago

Did they return fire? I would think not under the traitor's command. Barack has been arming and funding ISIS in his attempts to take out Assad. He wouldn't want to harm them.

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SupremeGalooty • 15 minutes ago

Rather than fight under Obama as Commander in Chief <:-(

I would take my chances with the Sodomites in Leavenworth

We have No Business sending our military ANYWHERE under this Bozo.

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SupremeGalooty > SupremeGalooty • 14 minutes ago

(My apologies to Bozo the Clown.)

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Pat Corcoran • 24 minutes ago

"Why the secrecy? Probably because President Obama had assured the American people many times previously that there would be no combat troops deployed to Iraq.

Of course, this puts a great big bullseye on the backs of those Marines, billeting them out in the middle of nowhere, making them highly vulnerable to ISIS artillery and rocket attacks.

It's one thing to have special operators assisting the Iraqis with training, lasing targets for U.S. warplanes, or assassinating high-value ISIS targets.

But Marines are lethal weapons. They are there to kill ISIS fighters and the fact that we are using one of our crack Marine outfits as part of this deployment changes the character of our intervention in Iraq."

- By our President lying about American involvement in Iraq he hopes to camouflage
the bullseye he placed on our troops that he continues to brag about withdrawing.

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boligat • 2 hours ago

At least the special operators are mobile.
 
mzkitty

mzkitty

I give up.
1h
Iranian-backed Shiite Iraqi militia demands withdrawal of US forces deployed in Iraq - Reuters
End of alert
 
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