The military is looking into if the recent death of a U.S. Marine in Iraq is the result of friendly fire.
The Pentagon identified the Marine as Gunnery Sgt. Scott A. Koppenhafer and initially said that his death was a result of being “engaged by enemy small-arms fire while conducting combat operations.” Although the Wall Street Journal reported Monday that officials are now investigating whether Koppenhafer, 35, was accidentally killed by U.S. or Iraqi forces.
Koppenhafer, who was part of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, became the first combat death in Iraq for a U.S. service member since troops were deployed there after Islamic State seized control of Mosul in 2014.
A Colorado native, Koppenhafer was fighting with Iraqi Security Forces in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. There are currently about 5,200 U.S. troops deployed to Iraq and about 1,000 in Syria.
He is survived by his wife and two children and is the third U.S. service member die as the result of combat for Operation Inherent Resolve in 2019.
