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CENTCOM: Six U.S. Service Members Killed in Operation Epic Fury

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U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) provided an update on Monday that six U.S. military service members have been killed as part of Operation Epic Fury in Iran.

In a post on X, CENTCOM explained that “the remains of two” U.S. service members who had been unaccounted for had been recovered.

“As of 4 pm ET, March 2, six U.S. service members have been killed in action,” CENTCOM said. “U.S. forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran’s initial attacks in the region.”

“The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” CENTCOM added.

CENTCOM added that “major combat operations continue.” (Read more from “CENTCOM: Six U.S. Service Members Killed in Operation Epic Fury” HERE)

‘Never Relent’: Trump Admin Strikes ISIS Targets In Syria

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The Department of War (DOW) carried out airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Saturday afternoon.

CENTCOM, a unified combatant command of the DOW, wrote in a statement posted to X it conducted “large-scale strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria” at about 12:30 p.m. EST “alongside partner forces.”

“The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria as part of our ongoing commitment to root out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent future attacks, and protect American and partner forces in the region. U.S. and coalition forces remain resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States,” CENTCOM wrote.

“Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” CENTCOM added.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth replied to CENTCOM’s statement on X, simply writing, “We will never forget, and never relent.”

(Read more from “‘Never Relent’: Trump Admin Strikes ISIS Targets In Syria” HERE)

Newly-Retired CENTCOM General Asks Why Iran was Allowed to Get Away With Assassination Attempt on US Soil (+video)

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Photo Credit: YouTubeThe U.S. made a serious mistake by not responding more assertively to an alleged Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States in a bomb attack on a popular Washington restaurant, just-retired CENTCOM commander James Mattis said Saturday.

At an October 2011 press conference Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller announced that Iran’s government had attempted to use a Mexican drug cartel to arrange the killing of the Saudi official, Adel Al-Jubeir, while dining at Cafe Milano in Georgetown. An Iranian-American living in Texas, Manssor Arbabsiar, and Iranian al-Quds force offifical Gholam Shakuri were charged with conspiring to carry out the bombing—which the U.S. officials said was headed off with the help of an undercover Drug Enforcement Agency informant.

“When we finally caught them in the act of trying to kill Adel, we had a beleaguered attorney general, a fine man but beleaguered politically, stand up and give a legal argument that frankly I couldn’t understand,” Mattis said at the Aspen Security Forum. “We caught them in the act and yet we let them walk free.”

Without being specific, Mattis suggested Iran should have suffered some more serious consequence for being behind the alleged plot.

“Frankly, I‘m not sure why, again, they haven’t been held to account,” he said. “They have been basically not held to account….I don’t know why the attempt on Adel wasn’t dealt with more strongly.”

Read more from this story HERE.

The Obama Administration’s Inexplicable Mishandling of Marine Gen. James Mattis

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Word on the national security street is that General James Mattis is being given the bum’s rush out of his job as commander of Central Command, and is being told to vacate his office several months earlier than planned.

Why the hurry? Pentagon insiders say that he rubbed civilian officials the wrong way — not because he went all “mad dog,” which is his public image, and the view at the White House, but rather because he pushed the civilians so hard on considering the second- and third-order consequences of military action against Iran. Some of those questions apparently were uncomfortable. Like, what do you do with Iran once the nuclear issue is resolved and it remains a foe? What do you do if Iran then develops conventional capabilities that could make it hazardous for U.S. Navy ships to operate in the Persian Gulf? He kept saying, “And then what?”

Inquiry along these lines apparently was not welcomed — at least in the CENTCOM view. The White House view, apparently, is that Mattis was too hawkish, which is not something I believe, having seen him in the field over the years. I’d call him a tough-minded realist, someone who’d rather have tea with you than shoot you, but is happy to end the conversation either way.

Presidents should feel free to boot generals anytime they want, of course — that’s our system, and one I applaud. But ousting Mattis at this time, and in this way, seems wrong for several reasons.

Read more from this story HERE.