Rep. Jim Banks says new video showing US troops being shot overseas contradicts Vice President Kamala Harris' claim that the US military does not deploy troops in combat zones.
The horrifying footage shows a hail of bullets and explosives aimed at U.S. soldiers and was filmed within the past “several months,” according to footage obtained by The Indiana Republican from a military source.
Due to national security concerns, the time and location of the footage cannot be disclosed.
During a debate with former President Trump last week, Harris touted the Biden administration's efforts to withdraw U.S. troops from war zones such as Afghanistan.
Military expert denies Harris' claim that there are no US troops in combat zones
“This is the first time this century that there are not a single U.S. soldier on active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world,” she asserted.
U.S. troops form formations in Iraq, a designated combat zone, on Memorial Day 2024. (U.S. Army)
“That's a total lie,” Banks told Fox News Digital. “This video proves that our troops are under fire.”
“Without question” U.S. troops are regularly under fire, added Banks, an Afghanistan veteran and member of the Armed Services Committee.
“We currently have troops in Syria. We still have troops in Iraq. We still have troops in the Middle East. The Houthis are targeting our naval ships. We have dangerous threats all over the world and Kamala Harris, trying to score some easy political points, is lying to the American people right before the election and saying we don't have troops in combat zones,” Banks said.
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Iraq and Syria are designated combat zones, and soldiers serving there receive combat pay. The U.S. has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and about 900 in Syria. The Pentagon is discussing plans to withdraw Americans from Iraq starting next year.
In an operation last month, U.S. and Iraqi forces killed a senior Islamic State commander and several other prominent fighters, bringing the total number of ISIS operatives killed to 14.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Indiana) attends the House Republican Conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on October 19, 2023, as debate continues over the House Speaker election. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Five U.S. soldiers were injured in the attack itself, and two more were injured in falls during the operation.
At the height of its power, the Islamic State seized territory and declared a caliphate across large swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014. It was defeated in Iraq in 2017 but attacks by ISIS sleeper cells across Iraq and Syria have increased in recent years.
A U.S.-led coalition soldier gestures to schoolchildren during a joint U.S. and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces patrol on the outskirts of Qamishli in northeastern Syria, February 8, 2024. (Reuters/Orhan Keleman)
The Pentagon He told Fox News Digital that while military personnel are stationed in many dangerous places, these deployments are made by the executive branch and not as part of wars declared by Congress.
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“Military service obligations may include service in locations where hostilities may occur,” the defense official said. “These locations will be designated by Presidential order and by the Secretary of Defense.”
“However, it is important to note that just because service members are in any of these locations does not mean they are serving at war,” the official added. “The United States is not currently engaged in war and does not have forces engaged in combat in any combat zone around the world.”
