Vice President Kamala Harris, a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, claimed, “For the first time this century, we don't have a single military member serving on active duty in a combat zone in any war zone anywhere in the world.”
Verdict: False
While the US is not currently involved in any major conflicts on the scale of the Afghanistan war, thousands of US troops currently serve in combat zones across the Middle East, and US forces are also conducting constant artillery bombardment of the Houthis.
Fact check:
This claim is misleading: Although the US withdrew from the military in August 2021 and is not involved in any major wars like the one in Afghanistan, it keeps troops stationed in the Middle East and elsewhere, primarily on counterterrorism missions, according to the December 2023 White House War Powers Act. Report.
“The United States launched Operation Guardian of Prosperity in December 2023 in response to missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping by Iran-backed Houthi rebels,” Check Your Facts previously reported. pentagon.”
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) also reported the same. September 10 The country's military said it had destroyed five Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and two missile systems in Yemen.
September 10th: U.S. Central Command Update
Over the past 24 hours, US Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces have successfully destroyed five Iranian-backed Houthi drones and two missile systems in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
These systems were determined… pic.twitter.com/yS4H5gAvKS
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 11, 2024
CENTCOM Announced On August 31, the US announced that it had killed 15 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorists in a raid carried out jointly with Iraqi security forces.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and Iraqi security forces conducted a joint raid in western Iraq in the early hours of August 29, killing 15 ISIS operatives. ISIS forces were armed with multiple weapons, grenades, and explosive “suicide” belts. pic.twitter.com/fCOFyxtke1
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 31, 2024
And CENTCOM stated On September 2, they announced that they had captured the ISIS leader with the help of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
CENTCOM forces work with the Syrian Democratic Forces to capture ISIS leaders and assist in operations to recapture fugitive ISIS fighters
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, working with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), captured an ISIS leader who was allegedly supporting ISIS. pic.twitter.com/Pdd2MzXI9Q
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 2, 2024
A lawyer previously told Check Your Facts publicly that “U.S. military personnel around the world serve every day to deter conflict and protect our country.”
“And that can sometimes involve operating in dangerous and hostile environments. So while we have forces serving in dangerous places, we are not a nation at war,” the defense official said.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon during operations against the Houthis. Navy TimesThe strike force, along with other U.S. Navy ships, fired $1.16 billion worth of munitions at the Houthis during the deployment. Business Insider.
The US reportedly helped Israel shoot down hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles on April 13. Associated Press. (RELATED: No, Trump didn't say his 'whole ear was blown off' in gunfire at rally
Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin said the claim was “technically correct but misleading,” citing the deaths of three US soldiers in Jordan. Drone Attack.
Harris: “As of today, for the first time this century, there is not a single U.S. soldier serving on active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world.”
While technically true, thousands of U.S. troops are at risk, and hundreds…
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) September 11, 2024
“That's technically true, but it's misleading. Thousands of U.S. troops are at risk, hundreds have been attacked this year alone, three were killed in January. Were they not in a 'combat zone'? It seems irrelevant,” Rogin said.
Check Your Fact previously fact-checked President Joe Biden's claim that the US is not at war. Brian Finucane, senior adviser at Crisis Group, told Check Your Fact that “since October, the US has been embroiled in new and re-emerging conflicts in the Middle East as a result of the Gaza war.”
