The first U.S. servicemember to be killed in the fight against the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIL or ISIS) died in Iraq, sources said Thursday.
The Washington Post reported that the military member was killed when U.S. and Kurdish forces raided an IS prison compound located near the northern town of Hawija in Iraq. At least 70 Kurdish hostages were freed in the raid.
This is the first time that a U.S. servicemember has died in Iraq during combat since the United States began its campaign against IS terrorists in 2014. Anonymous sources familiar with the situation also said upwards of a dozen Islamic State militants are suspected to have died in the raid.
Thursday morning, CNN reported that U.S. special operations forces were involved in a mission to rescue Kurdish hostages in Iraq.
Later, the Pentagon said that five IS terrorists were detained in the hostage rescue mission in Iraq, according to Reuters.
UPDATE 11:57 A.M.: This story has been updated to reflect information about the number of IS members detained in the raid.