Combat death underlines undefined mission in Iraq: #tellusatoday

Islamic State forces pushed through an Iraqi checkpoint and attacked Kurdish forces Tuesday, killing a Navy SEAL adviser. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called the fatality a “combat death.” Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

As part of only a small team of advisers, the SEAL might as well have been alone. Soldiers need their brothers around them, not soldiers in training. Either send a surge or get out. This drip-drip method gets Americans needlessly killed.

— Nicholas B Scott

Only three U.S. servicemen have been killed in Iraq since the 2014 deployment to help fight ISIL. However, had the mission taken place under George W. Bush’s Republican leadership, total casualties would likely be in the thousands, excluding civilian casualties.

— Albert Velarde

I support President Obama on most issues, but as to the war against ISIL, he has been a dismal failure. ISIL’s members are among the most barbaric thugs in the world, and we face no vocal opposition in the free world to taking them out. I do not fault our troops because they are capable of doing this job. Wherever ISIL’s members are, we should destroy them. The U.S. should use our airpower to the maximum, but in terms of effectiveness, airpower cannot compare with ground troops. By not acting, and allowing ISIL to grow stronger, rather then exterminating it, we have endangered ourselves and the world.

— Christopher Dunn

This is outrageous. Blame both parties for this. We have no clear end goal, no plan. We fight with our hands tied. This is a mess. We should pull everyone out. Not one more soldier injured or killed starting now.

— Bob Zimmerman

We asked followers whether ISIL’s killing of a Navy SEAL changed their view of President Obama’s decision to send more troops to Iraq. Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

He has placed all U.S. military personnel in danger because he won’t send enough troops in to protect each other.

— @62jerseygirl

ISIL is hoping the U.S. will pull out, but the president made the right decision to work to eliminate the terror group from Iraq.

— @JeffOstach

Obama needs to send divisions, small numbers, and remove the cancer.

— @thefly445

The U.S. has sacrificed too many lives in that country. It’s time to pull out all the troops.

— @Cnanachaix

Follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday for more of this discussion.