US Marines gave fire support to Makhmour offensive

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States Marines based at the artillery firebase on the Makhmour front gave fire support to the joint coalition offensive on Islamic State (ISIS)-held villages.

From the ‘Firebase Bell’ outpost the Marines reportedly fired their howitzer artillery guns in support of Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga troops as well as illumination rounds to help those troops identify ISIS positions during Thursday offensive against ISIS positions according to an anonymous senior US official cited by AP.

The existence of the artillery base was revealed to the public last weekend when ISIS katyusha rocket fire killed a Marine there. The outpost is home to 200 US Marines which the US stresses are there to provide fire support to the nearby Iraqi base as well as protection for the Iraqi troops the US is training there.

US Army Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for the United States-led coalition air campaign against ISIS, stressed last Monday that Firebase Bell cannot technically be considered an active combat outpost since it is located behind the front lines. Thursdays directing of surface-to-surface fire on ISIS from that position is therefore likely seen as similar to the continuous airstrikes the US has been leveling against ISIS since August 2014.