In Effort to Neutralize ISIS and Protect American-Trained Forces, U.S. to Conduct Airstrikes in Syria (7/3/2015)

A firefighter killed by a wildfire in Northern California was scouting the area when he became trapped by the wind-stoked blaze, officials said Saturday.

U.S. Forest Service firefighter David Ruhl was driving down a Modoc National Forest road in a vehicle Thursday. The fire suddenly grew and trapped him, information officer Ken Sandusky said.

Ruhl was one of several firefighters exploring the area when the small fire suddenly expanded. An investigation is underway to determine exactly what happened, Sandusky said.

Crews fighting the blaze lost communication with Ruhl on Thursday evening. His body was recovered Friday.

By Saturday, the blaze about 100 miles south of the Oregon border, had burned 2.8 square miles and was 5 percent contained.

Erratic winds were challenging fire-containment efforts and moving the fire in all directions. Gusty winds were expected Saturday evening, when lightning storms are also forecast, the U.S. Forest Service said.

Source:

The Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/firefighter-david-ruhl-killed-in-california-wildfire_55bd42d7e4b06363d5a27328

The United States has decided to allow airstrikes to defend Syrian rebels trained by the U.S. military from any attackers, even if the enemies hail from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. officials said on Sunday.

The decision by President Barack Obama, which could deepen the U.S. role in Syria's conflict, aims to shield a still-fledging group of Syrian fighters armed and trained by the United States to battle Islamic State militants -- not forces loyal to Assad.

But in Syria's messy civil war, Islamic State is only one of the threats to the U.S. recruits. The first batch of U.S.-trained forces deployed to northern Syria came under fire on Friday from other militants, triggering the first known U.S. airstrikes to support them.

Source:

Phil Stewart via The World Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-airstrikes-syria_55bed290e4b0b23e3ce3261c?

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Firefighter David Ruhl Killed in California Wildfire (7/3/2015)

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