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October 23, 2015

U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq Rescue Mission; 1st in Combat Since 2010 
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A U.S. soldier has been killed in Iraq during a rescue mission targeting
the Islamic State. It's the first known combat death of an American
servicemember in Iraq since the U.S. withdrawal of 2010. U.S. forces
officially re-entered Iraq last year under a training and advisory role.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the operation was a "unique
circumstance," not a signal of changing tactics.

Peter Cook: "I wouldn't suggest you should look at this as some change
in tactics on our part. This was a unique circumstance in which very
close partners of the United States made a specific request for our
assistance, and there was a deliberate process to analyze this situation
and the circumstances, and that's when the decision was made to move
forward with this operation."

The United States says the rescue mission freed 70 captives from an ISIL
prison, saving them from potential execution.

 

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