A U.S. special operator was killed by a gunshot wound early Thursday during a hostage rescue mission in Iraq, marking the first U.S. combat death in the fight against the Islamic State.
“Dozens” of U.S. special operators assisted Iraqi Peshmerga fighters in an operation to rescue about 70 hostages from an Islamic State prison compound near Hawija, about 90 kilometers south of Irbil, a defense official said.
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said it was believed that the hostages faced “imminent mass execution.” Among the 70 rescued, about 20 were fighters were with the Iraqi Security Forces.
Five Islamic State terrorists were detained by the Kurds and more than 10 were killed, the official said. Cook’s statement said the U.S. also “recovered important intelligence about ISIL” during the raid.
The U.S. service member who was killed by an enemy gunshot wound died after being transported to Irbil for medical care, the statement said. Four Peshmerga soldiers were also wounded.
The U.S. provided five helicopters for transport, intelligence, and airstrike support before and after the raid as well as advice on the ground, the official said.
About 3,500 U.S. troops are in Iraq. While there have been nine U.S. troop deaths during Operation Inherent Resolve, which is the name for the fight against the Islamic State, all have been classified as noncombat, according to Defense Department statistics.
The U.S. service member killed Thursday also marks the first U.S. service member killed in action in Iraq since the U.S. withdrew its forces in 2011.
