"This Special Operations presence has been there [in Iraq], and I think when they have the actionable intelligence… then they can operate and they will," Reed told Sputnik in response to a question whether the hostage rescue operation would impact ongoing debate about redeploying more US troops to Iraq.
On Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed the death of one US serviceman during a hostage rescue operation in the Iraqi Kurdistan. The operation was carried out by US Special Operations forces, alongside Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers.
Reed, the ranking member on the US Senate Armed Services Committee, has previously argued against members of his own committee who have called for an increased US troop presence on the ground in Iraq to combat the Islamic State.
According to reports, 70 hostages were freed in the rescue operation and 20 Islamic State combatants were killed.
