A U.S. service-member died after being wounded by an improvised explosive device in northern Iraq, the Pentagon revealed Thursday.
Pentagon officials did not officially specify if the service-member was killed while taking part in the current Iraqi offensive on the Islamic State city of Mosul. A U.S. official however confirmed to The Daily Beast that the service-member was participating in Mosul operations, but did not specify which force he was embedded with.
U.S. officials previously indicated nearly 100 U.S. special operators are embedded with Iraqi Security Forces near the front-line.
The service-member’s death is the first combat death announced in recent months. U.S. Navy Seal Charles Keating was killed in May in a similar advise and assist mission in Iraq, when the Kurdish unit he was attached to came under heavy fire from ISIS militants. Rocket fire also killed a Marine on a base in northern Iraq in late March.
The U.S. has approximately 5,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, with the majority serving in advisory or support roles who remain on base.
Follow Saagar Enjeti on Twitter
Send tips to saagar@
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.