2015 Hawija prison raid

Earlier in May 2014, U.S. special operations forces had conducted at least one other mission in the Iraq–Syria theater, despite Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook stating that the U.S. military was 'not in an active combat mission' in the region. U.S. service members of Operation Inherent Resolve were only supposed to "advise, train and assist" local forces. == Operation ==

At 4:00 a.m. local time on 22 October, Delta Force and CTD operators launched an air assault on the prison from their staging area at Erbil International Airport, with the 160th SOAR(A) providing transport for the task force. 3 CH-47 Chinook helicopters transported, the nearly 80 men strong force, to the area surrounding the prison complex, while 2 UH-60 Black Hawks provided close air support through machine gun fire. Shortly after roads and bridges to the area had been bombed by coalition fighter jets, to cut off any potential reinforcements. The assault was being monitored by U.S. surveillance drones. Although the plan called for the Kurds to do the fighting, Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, who commanded the raid, and his unit of Delta Force operators, sprang into action to actively support the operation, after the CTD was unable to blow up the prison's wall and came under heavy fire. The U.S.-Kurdish task force split up into two teams, one which was led by Wheeler and another team led by Sgt. Thomas Payne. Wheeler's unit entered the prison courtyard, where he provided covering fire that enabled the force to advance to the 1st Main Building. In doing so, he was mortally wounded by small-arms fire coming from barricaded positions, and Wheeler's group was repelled in its attempts to enter the building. Meanwhile, U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles, F-16C Fighting Falcons, and several armed unmanned aerial vehicles conducted airstrikes in surrounding areas, aimed at neutralizing ISIS elements, confusing them, and disrupting their movements. In the two-hour long operation 20 ISIS militans were killed, 6 detained, two of which were considered 'leaders', 1 U.S. service member was killed, 3 to 4 CTD operators were injured and 70 hostages rescued. Video footage, which was later released by the KRG, showed what happened when the special forces went inside one of the buildings. A Kurdish operator's helmet camera showed his weapon pointed toward a barred window illuminated by a glow, possibly from a fire. Other scenes depicted soldiers moving through dark offices with large black-and-white ISIS flags at one end. In another sequence, four men in robes with their hands on their heads were escorted through a doorway and searched. The operator wearing the body camera was seen emptying the men's shirt pockets, patting them down, and then moving them quickly along the hallway. Delta Force operators speaking English were audible on the footage, with one instructing, "Hold that guy [hostage] there!". == Aftermath ==

Wheeler was the first U.S. soldier to die in combat against the Islamic State. The U.S. Defense secretary at the time, Ash Carter, applauded Wheeler as a hero, saying "his response enabled the mission to succeed." Carter said the U.S. and its Kurdish partners collected valuable intelligence at the scene, including documents and electronics. This, he said, shows "the great value of raids of this kind," and that he expects more operations of this type to happen. The KRSC considered the Hawija operation to be the "single most significant joint rescue operation based out of the Kurdistan region conducted deep in ISIS territory" to date. It also offered its "heartfelt condolences" to the family and friends of Joshua Wheeler and expressed its gratefulness to the "counterterrorism professionals" for their bravery. On 11 September 2020, Thomas Payne, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day by President Donald Trump, becoming the first living Delta Force recipient of the Medal of Honor and the first Medal of Honor recipient for Operation Inherent Resolve. ==See also==