US Defense Secretary Approved Rescue Mission in Iraq Due to Imminent Threat

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter authorized a mission to free some 70 hostages in the Iraqi town of Hawija consistent with the appropriate legal authorities under Operation Inherent Resolve, according to White House spokesperson Eric Schultz.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter authorized a special operation to free some 70 hostages in the Iraqi town of Hawija, White House spokesperson Eric Schultz told reporters on Thursday.

“The Secretary of Defense [Ashton Carter] authorized this mission consistent with the appropriate legal authorities under Operation Inherent Resolve,” Schultz said in a briefing.

Earlier on Friday, US Central Command confirmed that a Special Operations team carried out the operation together with Iraqi counterparts near Hawija in northern Iraq to free the hostages held allegedly by the Islamic State terrorist group. One US soldier was killed during the raid and four Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were wounded.

“That operation was deliberately planned and launched after receiving information that the hostages faced imminent mass execution,” Schultz said.

A US-led coalition of more than 60 countries has been conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq since August 2014. The airstrikes are a part of the coalition’s Operation Inherent Resolve, whose goal is to eliminate the Islamic State.