An American-led intervention in Iraq started on 15 June 2014, when President Barack Obama ordered US forces to be dispatched to the region, in response to offensives in Iraq conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). American troops went, at the invitation of the Iraqi Government, to assess Iraqi forces and the threat posed by ISIL. In early August 2014, ISIL attacked Kurdish-held territory in northern Iraq, and captured three towns in northern Iraq, close to the autonomous region Iraqi Kurdistan.[103] Consequently, the US started supplying the Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces with weapons on 5 August. On 7 August, the US also started humanitarian aid air droppings of food, water, and medicine for the civilians fleeing ISIL in the Sinjar Mountains. On the next day, 8 August, the US began airstrikes against ISIL positions in Iraq. Since then, nine countries, allied with the US in some coalition, have also executed airstrikes on ISIL in Iraq, more or less in concert with ground warfare of Kurdish and/or Iraqi government forces against ISIL. There have also been sporadic clashes between ISIL fighters, and US and Canadian troops, several thousand of whom are acting in advisory and combat roles with Iraqi and Kurdish forces.[105][106] By April 2015, ISIL had lost 25–30% of the maximum territory they had gained in Iraq in December 2014, to Iraqi and American-led Coalition forces, leaving them in possession of around 15,000 square miles of Iraq.

US forces in Syria have begun airdropping troops behind ISIS lines near the town of al-Tabqa, and near the important Tabqa Dam. The exact details of the airdrop are still emerging but they are said to include some US Marines as well as a number of Kurdish forces. The area around Tabqa is just the latest in a series of targets for the Kurdish YPG as they attempt to surround the ISIS capital of Raqqa. Tabqa is about 25 miles west of the capital, and Kurdish YPG forces mostly control the area north of the city, though they’ve also made some efforts to take the northeast. The airdrops, which began on Tuesday, were the first US airdrops of Kurdish forces so far in Syria, and the deployment of US Marines with them points to the continued escalation of direct US military involvement on the ground by the Trump Administration. In recent weeks, the US has also deployed hundreds of other US Marines with howitzers into the area north of Raqqa, aiming to provide support for advances toward the city. While the Pentagon officially labeled the howitzer Marines “advisers,” there appears to be little doubt that they, along with the new airdropped troops, will be involved in combat in the course of this deployment.  by Jason Ditz, March 22, 2017.

Over the past year, ARSOF worked with and through partner forces to counter violent extremist organizations and to counter regional aggression where nation-states, such as Russia, threaten the international order. Our forces also developed and strengthened relationships with partner nations, built partner capacity, and provided early understanding of trends, opportunities, and threats in critical regions of the world. When called upon, USASOC forces executed precision direct action operations, enabled by SOF unique intelligence, technology, and targeting processes. In each case, ARSOF Soldiers employed their unique skills, to include cultural and language expertise, to successfully navigate complex operating environments.  In CENTCOM, Army Special Forces Soldiers maintained pressure on insurgent networks in Afghanistan through partnered operations, enabled host nation forces to counter extremist threats in Lebanon, and empowered security forces to recapture cities from the Islamic State in Iraq. In EUCOM, Special Forces, Psychological Operations, and Civil Affairs Soldiers worked to professionalize Ukrainian SOF capabilities and those of other European allies to counter Russian aggression. In AFRICOM, USASOC Soldiers enabled host nation partners to counter violent extremist organizations in countries such as Somalia, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad. In PACOM, 75th Ranger Regiment conducted partnered training in Korea while other USASOC units partnered with host nation forces in Taiwan, Thailand, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Japan. In SOUTHCOM, Special Forces, along with Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs teams, developed partner capabilities in Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Colombia. In NORTHCOM, USASOC Soldiers trained, advised, and assisted Mexican partner forces and enabled their operations against transregional criminal organizations through fusion cell activities. These examples represent a small number of the training events, exercises, engagements, and partnered operations executed worldwide by ARSOF.

The Washington Post recently gave attention to a secret arm of the CIA tasked with security operations abroad. The Global Response Staff is made up of hundreds of former members of U.S. special operations forces who often work as contractors. Their mission is to guard spies, but let’s face it: A Delta guy isn’t going to sit around for long. GRS operations have expanded in recent years to include critical security at drone bases, defending Special Collection Elements in the field, and transporting intelligence assets in combat zones. In Benghazi, members of GRS mounted a rescue operation of U.S. diplomats, and later helped evacuate survivors. This is not a job that you take to pad a retirement check. As the Post notes, five of the fourteen CIA employees killed in recent years were from GRS..

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