Pentagon says IS attack Iraqi air base

Islamic State fighters led a suicide attack on an Iraqi air base, where US and coalition troops are training Iraqi forces, after taking a nearby town, the Pentagon said on Friday. It represents the first territorial gain by the militant group in months. Most of the Islamic State fighters died in the attack, killed either by Iraqi government forces or by detonating their suicide vests, said Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman. Kirby said an estimated 20 to 25 Islamic State militants were involved in the attack, on al-Asad air base in Iraq's Anbar province. He said the attack was led by "at least several" suicide bombers, some of whom managed to detonate their bombs while others were killed by Iraqi troops. "Early indications are that yes, some of them did detonate their vests, detonate themselves," he said. "And then they were followed by roughly something in the order of 15 or so other fighters." It appeared that most, if not all, of the militants were wearing Iraqi uniforms, Kirby said. No US troops were killed or wounded, Kirby said, and no US troops were involved in the gunfight, but he did not have details of Iraqi casualties. Kirby said Islamic State fighters had taken control of al-Baghdadi, a town near the al-Asad air base, which was the first time in months that they had taken any new ground. It was not initially clear whether the attackers at al-Asad managed to penetrate the perimeter of the base, which is a sprawling series of compounds. There are about 400 US troops at the base. There are currently nearly 2,600 US forces in Iraq. Of those, about 450 are training Iraqi troops at three bases across the country, including al-Asad. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f6ed7b5beedb95ba25643524c941c3c9 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork