A US Navy SEAL was killed Tuesday morning when ISIS fighters infiltrated a Peshmerga position in Northern Iraq. The SEAL was advising Peshmerga fighters about three to five kilometers behind a forward line of troops when ISIS fighters attacked the position, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement. The SEAL, who has not yet been identified, is the third combat death in Operation Inherent Resolve. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said during a briefing Tuesday in Stuttgart, Germany, the death is a reminder of the dangers troops face in the conflict. “It’s a serious fight that we have to wage in Iraq,” he said. The US-led coalition responded with fighters, bombers, attack, ground-attack, and remotely piloted aircraft strikes to counter the ISIS attack, according to the Pentagon.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.