'American Forces Are On The Ground': Kurds Claim US Commandos ARE Fighting ISIS In Northern Iraq

[big_dog]

American Special Forces commandos are on the ground fighting in northern Iraq, according to a published report, just a week after Barack Obama said that wouldn't happen. And with a second brutal beheading in Syria ,the president may soon have to decide how much more military might to deploy.

Even as he has authorized more than 100 target airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in Iraq, Obama told the American Legion on August 26 that 'American combat troops will not be returning to fight in Iraq.' 'I will not allow the United States to be dragged back into another ground war in Iraq,' he said, adding later that 'the answer' to ISIS 'is not to send in large-scale military deployments that overstretch our military.'

His parsing of words – 'combat troops' and 'large-scale' – now seem calculated to produce platoon-sized loopholes. A Daily Beast freelance reporter wrote Tuesday that he saw 'what appeared to be bearded Western Special Operations Forces' in a caravan of armored vehicles near the Iraqi town of Zumar.

The battle-scarred location, 30 miles from Mosul and a bit further from Erbil, had been the site of fierce fighting between Kurdish Peshmerga forces and ISIS militants. 'They didn't wear any identifying insignia,' the reporter added, 'but they were visibly Western and appeared to match all the visual characteristics of American special operations soldiers.' This particular freelancer should know: He's a 27-year-old former U.S. Army Ranger who served three tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2740793/American-forces-ground-Kurds-say-US-commandos-fighting-ISIS-northern-Iraq-Obama-said-no-combat-troops-fight.html#ixzz3CBwOFJNl

[underpants]

1. I figured they were already there

To some extent.

[malthaussen]

2. They'd have to be, if we're using any smart ordnance. n/t

[Frustratedlady]

3. Could they be Blackwater-type mercenaries?

That would keep military personnel off the ground, so to speak, so he wouldn't be lying.

[Adsos Letter]

4. And this is probably the best way to go about it.

US special forces groups helping local forces, along with air power...and try not to let it become more than that.

[blm]

5. We already knew that. This article is written to pretend we didn't.

Apparently, the tactic works with some interested in fostering division.

[chrisa]

6. Typical of the US to deploy Mercs and claim that "boots aren't on the ground."

It's an exercise in semantics taken to a ridiculous extreme.

On the other hand, this is from Daily Mail, so it could be complete bullshit.

[Adsos Letter]

7. No proof they're mercenaries.

I would be surprised if they were, at this stage.