[CNN] U.S. helicopter gunships supported Iraqi ground forces battling ISIS holy warriors in al-Baghdadi, military sources said, an action that brings U.S. troops closer to combat.ISIS took control of the town earlier Friday.
The U.S. military also deployed Apache attack helicopters against an ISIS assault on the strategic Ayn al-Assad Air Base about 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of al-Baghdadi, sources said.
Iraqi ground forces killed those attackers and the Apaches safely returned to base without firing a shot, the source said.
Robert Baer, a former CIA officer, said the battles may indicate a deepening involvement of U.S. troops in the fight against ISIS.
"I think what we're seeing here is mission creep," he said Friday night. "The Iraqi army is not up to the task. And without the United States Air Force and the military on the ground, a lot of these ... bases would be overrun."
Mark Hertling, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, said he thought the Iraqi army was improving.
"I think the Iraqi government is getting it back together and, yes, they do need help from coalition forces, U.S. forces right now," he said. "But they're coming around and they realize what a scourge this organization [ISIS] is."