A U.S. soldier who died in a non-combat-related incident at the al-Asad base on Friday was a National Guardsman from Washington State. The cause of death is still being investigated. However, there are reports that he may have succumbed to injuries received during the battle at Tal Asqof that left another U.S. service member dead earlier this week.
The Pentagon says the war on the Islamic State is entering a new phase that will involve greater U.S. military involvement.
Peshmerga forces handed over control of Bashir to Shi’ite militiamen under the condition that the city in turn is handed over to local police in three months.
At least 163 were killed, and 98 were wounded:
A roadside bomb killed 21 civilians who were trying to escape Daesh territory in Nasr.
A chemical rocket attack on Bashir left at least 45 people afflicted.
In Mosul, eight civilians were executed.
Five soldiers were killed and eight were wounded in a suicide attack on a base in Jeraishi.
In Baghdad, four people were killed and 17 more were wounded in separate bombings.
A suicide bomber attacked the funeral of an Abu Ghraib official’s wife. The bomber killed three policemen and two civilians. Another 16 people were wounded.
A bomb killed three people and wounded 10 more at a Madaen commercial center.
Shelling injured two women in Granada.
Security forces in the Hamrin Hills killed 25 militants.
Peshmerga forces killed 23 militants in Batnaya.
In Makhmour, security forces killed 20 militants.
Twenty militants were killed in a strike near Amiriyat al-Falluja.
In Falluja, an airstrike left 17 militants dead.
Nine militants were killed by security forces in the Makhoul Mountains.
Gunmen in Sharqat killed two militants, one an allegiance officer.
