The White House maintained on Monday that U.S. Marines stationed at Firebase Bell in northern Iraq are not there to conduct combat missions. Col. Steve Warren, the U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, said the servicemembers at the new base are there to provide security for U.S. trainers already working in Iraq. Between 100 and 200 Marines are stationed there. Military officials are also privately admitting to having around 5,000 troops in Iraq currently. That is more than the official cap of 3,870 individuals. Shi’ite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq demanded that the American troops leave.
At least 171 were killed and 54 were wounded:
Militants claimed that 30 Iraqi soldiers were killed in an attack on a convoy near Ain al-Asad base. At least five suicide bombers were also killed.
Six Iraqi soldiers were killed during an attack on Baghdadi that also left about 30 militants dead.
In Makhmour, two Iraqi soldiers and five suicide bombers were killed.
A bomb in Abu Ghraib killed one person and wounded seven more.
Two security members were killed in an attack at a checkpoint in Albu Musa.
In the Makhoul Mountains, 20 militants were killed, including an official.
Nineteen militants were killed in Khalidiya and Albu Bali.
Airstrikes targeting Mosul killed at least 18 militants and wounded nine more and several local leaders.
In Hawija, airstrikes left 14 militants dead and 25 wounded.
At the Alas and Ajil oil fields, fighting left 15 militants dead and eight wounded.
Security forces killed seven militants in Garma.
Two militants were killed in an attack on Firebase Bell.
