New video of U.S. troops being shot at overseas contradicts Vice President Kamala Harris’ claim the U.S. does not have troops in an active combat zone, according to Rep. Jim Banks.
The harrowing footage shows a firestorm of bullets and explosives targeting U.S. troops and was taken within the last “few months,” according to the Indiana Republican, who obtained it from a service member.
The time and place of the footage cannot be divulged due to national security concerns.
During her debate with former President Trump last week, Harris boasted of the Biden administration’s efforts to get U.S. troops out of war zones like Afghanistan.
MILITARY EXPERTS REJECT HARRIS CLAIM OF ‘NO US SOLDIERS IN COMBAT ZONES’
“There is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world, the first time this century,” she claimed.
U.S. troops stand in formation on Memorial Day 2024 in Iraq, a designated combat zone. (U.S. Army)
“That is just a complete lie,” Banks told Fox News Digital. “This video proves that we have troops being fired on.”
“Without a doubt,” U.S. troops are being fired at regularly, added Banks, an Afghanistan veteran and Armed Services Committee member.
“We have troops currently in Syria. We still have troops in Iraq. We have troops in the Middle East. The Houthis are using our Navy ships as target practice. We have dangerous threats around the world, and Kamala Harris is trying to score cheap political points and lie to the American people right before the election to say that we don’t have troops in combat zones,” Banks said.
Iraq and Syria are designated combat zones, and troops that serve there earn combat pay. The U.S. has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria. The Defense Department is in talks about a plan to pull Americans out of Iraq beginning next year.
In an operation last month, U.S. troops and Iraqi forces killed a senior commander with the Islamic State, in addition to several other prominent militants, for a total 14 ISIS operatives.
U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., arrives for a House Republican members meeting as the conference continues to debate the race for speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Oct. 19, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Five U.S. troops were wounded in the raid itself and two were injured from falls during the operation.
The Islamic State group seized territory at the height of its power and declared a caliphate over swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. It was defeated in Iraq in 2017, but attacks by ISIS sleeper cells across Iraq and Syria have been on the rise over the past few years.
A soldier from the U.S.-led coalition gestures toward schoolchildren during a joint U.S.- Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces patrol in the countryside of Qamishli in northeastern Syria Feb. 8, 2024. (Reuters/Orhan Qereman)
The Pentagon told Fox News Digital that service members are stationed in various dangerous locations but noted that those deployments are made by the executive branch and not due to wars declared by Congress.
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“An aspect of military service includes serving in locations where hostile actions may occur,” a defense official said. “Those locations are designated by executive order and/or the secretary of defense.
“However, it’s important to note that just because a service member is in one of these locations does not mean they are engaged in war,” the official added. “The U.S. is not currently engaged in a war and does not have troops fighting in active war zones anywhere in the world.”
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