The life of one Navy SEAL is worth more than the lives of every ISIS fighter and sympathizer on the planet combined.
— Jazz Shaw (@JazzShaw) May 3, 2016
Just to follow up on our post from this morning, the Defense Department is reporting that the U.S. serviceman killed in Iraq today was a Navy SEAL who had come to the aid of Kurdish militiamen battling ISIS forces that had broken through a checkpoint:
Confirmed: U.S. combat death in Iraq today was a Navy SEAL and first class petty officer (i.e., enlisted man), defense official tells me.
— Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) May 3, 2016
Navy SEAL died after coming "to open the way for us to retreat", said Christian militiaman. https://t.co/j2PqQD5JVI
— Loveday Morris (@LovedayM) May 3, 2016
Josh Earnest says that ISIS penetrated checkpoint and attacked Peshmerga fighters where Navy Seal was advising
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) May 3, 2016
Oh shocker, ISIS broke through a check point manned by Iraqi forces, then made their way to Peshmurga where they were stopped
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) May 3, 2016
More from the Washington Post:
BAGHDAD — A U.S. Navy SEAL was killed Tuesday in an attack by Islamic State fighters in northern Iraq, highlighting the evolving nature of the Pentagon’s mission in Iraq and how American troops are serving closer than ever to the front lines.
The SEAL, an enlisted petty officer first class whose identity was withheld until family members were notified, was killed by enemy fire about 9:30 a.m., said U.S. military officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information publicly.
The death occurred after Islamic State fighters penetrated a front line of Kurdish peshmerga forces by about three miles north of Mosul, said a U.S. military official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information publicly.
Earlier:
CONFIRMED: U.S. serviceman killed by ‘enemy fire’ near Mosul
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