A young American commando was killed during a mission to free dozens of hostages who faced imminent execution by ISIS in Iraq, U.S. officials said Thursday. The commando was the first service member to die in combat operations against the militant group.
U.S. special operations forces rescued 70 hostages after receiving intelligence that there was about to be a mass execution, U.S. offi
cials told NBC News.
Military chiefs said the overnight raid had been a "successful operation that saved many lives," despite the commando receiving fatal gunshot wounds. Five ISIS fighters were captured and many others were killed, officials said.
"We commend and congratulate the brave individuals who participated in this successful operation that saved many lives, despite the casualty," Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a statement.
There were varied reports on who the rescued hostages were: Kurdish fighters, Iraqi fighters, or a mix of those and other groups.
It was the first publicly-acknowledged mission of U.S. special operations forces conducted in Iraq since President Barack Obama sought authorization from Congress in February for "limited" ground combat operations against ISIS.
The hostages were freed from a prison in Hawijah, 34 miles southwest of Kirkuk, at the request of local Kurdish Peshmerga forces. The U.S. is the only coalition military force in Iraq with the capability to carry out such a rescue.
A senior Kurdish official told NBC News that raid was on an ISIS commander's home that had been converted into a prison. ISIS used the facility to hold suspected spies and turncoats
Dozens of American forces aboard five military helicopters that took off from Irbil took part in the operation.
A senior U.S. military official with direct knowledge of the raid said the commando was killed by direct fire from ISIS. He is the first American killed during combat operations since the United States began airstrikes and training Iraqi military forces more than a year ago.
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Initially, American forces were "in an assist capacity on the perimeter of the target," the official said. "However, when the firefight got so intense, U.S. moved in ... to protect the Peshmerga and the hostages, so U.S. forces started killing ISIS themselves."
The official added that intelligence about the imminent execution was verified by the raid. "Mass graves were already dug," the official said.
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