Col. Danny McKnight: 'Ridiculous' to Say ISIS Raid Not 'Combat'

The Pentagon and White House stressed that the raid on an Islamic State (ISIS) prison last week that left an American service member dead was not technically "combat," but a veteran of the Battle of Mogadishu disputes that.

"It's pretty ridiculous what we're hearing," retired Army Col. Danny McKnight said Monday on Fox News Channel's "Your World with Neil Cavuto." 

McKnight pointed to video released of the action, saying, "There's no doubt in my mind this is combat. When you're getting shot at and shooting back to save other people's lives, there's nothing else you can call it but combat."

Soldiers die two ways, McKnight said: "They die in training-related accidents which can happen, and they die in combat. There is nothing in between, in my opinion."

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the action was led by Kurdish forces, and Americans were acting as part of our "advise and assist mission."

American forces likely were assisting the Kurds, he said, and when the Kurds "couldn't pull it off" the Americans stepped in.

"I promise you the first round that was fired was combat and it was nothing else," he said.

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