The Pentagon confirmed over the weekend that one U.S. Marine and several others were injured in an Islamic State rocket attack on a fire base in northern Iraq.
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, age 27, was killed during an ISIS rocket attack Saturday near Makhmur in northern Iraq. Cardin was a native of Temecula, Calif., and assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
“A U.S. Marine providing force protection fire support at a recently established coalition fire base near Makhmur in northern Iraq was killed after coming under ISIL rocket fire,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook during a Saturday press conference. “Several other Marines were wounded and they are being treated for their varying injuries.”
The attack took place on the Nineveh Operations Center near Kurdish-controlled territory and serves as the headquarters of Iraq’s 15 Army Division. The base is being utilized as a key staging area for the upcoming battle for the large northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
“This is the second combat death since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve, and it reminds us of the risks our men and women in uniform face everyday,” noted Cook. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the service members involved, their families and their coalition teammates who will continue the fight against ISIL (ISIS) with resolve and determination.”
The last U.S. death during Operation Inherent Resolve, the name of the U.S. mission in Iraq, came last October when Army Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, age 39, was killed in combat during a raid against ISIS forces.
Officials speaking to the Marine Corps Times confirmed Sunday that the U.S. is sending another detachment of Marines from Cardin’s unit to Iraq to support the mission against ISIS. The exact number of service personnel included in the attachment is uncertain.
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