Two U.S. Troops Dead, Five Injured During ‘Combat Operations’ in Iraq

The U.S. military has ruled out enemy contact as the cause of the recent deaths of two American service members and injury of five others while they were participating in the U.S.-led offensive against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq Sunday.

“Initial reports indicate the incident was not due to enemy contact,” notes the U.S. military in a statement.

Nevertheless, the United States armed forces did acknowledge that the American casualties took place during “combat operations in northern Iraq” on Sunday.

The American troops involved in the incident, which the military has said is under investigation, were part of the U.S.-led coalition that has been combating the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq since 2014.

U.S. officials have not officially released information about the identities of the Americans who were killed and injured.

American Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS, paid his respects to the family of the troops, saying:

The entire counter-ISIS Coalition sends our deepest condolences to these heroes’ families, friends, and teammates. There are no words to describe the respect I have for you and sorrow I have for your loss. I hope there is some small solace in knowing their loss has meaning for our country and all the nations of the Coalition as the fallen service members were fighting to defeat a truly evil enemy and to protect our homelands.

An estimated 5,000 U.S. troop are believed to be participating in Iraq-based operations against ISIS.

“A month after Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi declared victory over ISIS in Mosul, the coalition continues to aid the Iraqi armed forces fight against ISIS in other towns throughout the country,” notes CNN. “Within Iraq, the coalition’s main focus is to liberate the towns of Tal Afar, Hawija and the town of Al Qaim in the Euphrates River valley. The coalition is also working to liberate Raqqa, ISIS’ de-facto capital in Syria.”

ISIS still controls about 20 percent of the territory (35,000 square miles) it held at its peak at the beginning of 2015.

According to a tally by the Pentagon, there have been at least 42 U.S. fatalities linked to Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the name of the ongoing American offensive against ISIS in the Middle East.

Of the 42 American casualties, which likely does not include the recent deaths in Iraq, terrorists have killed the majority (28) in combat. Jihadists have also killed at least two American civilians affiliated with OIR.

Moreover, there have been at least 208 injury incidents involving U.S. troops fighting ISIS under Operation Inherent Resolve.