An American service member was killed by an improvised explosive device in northern Iraq, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The death was disclosed by Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led mission against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon has not yet identified the fallen service member, but defense officials told the Daily Beast the death occurred near Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.
Today, a U.S. service member died fr/ wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast in northern Iraq. Further info when available
— OIR Spokesman (@OIRSpox) October 20, 2016
U.S. forces are on a train, advise, and assist mission in Iraq to help support local forces fighting ISIS. This week, Iraqi forces backed by U.S. support launched an offensive to retake Mosul, the terror group's de facto capital in Iraq, from ISIS control. The Pentagon did not specify where the death occurred on Thursday.