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Jihadist rocket kills US Marine in Iraq

The Pentagon says a rocket fired by Islamic State group militants has killed a US Marine in northern Iraq.

File image of IS militants
File image of IS militants Source: AAP

A US Marine who was part of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group has been killed in a rocket attack by the militant group in northern Iraq, the Pentagon says.

It was the second combat death of an American service member in Iraq since the start of the campaign to fight the militant group.

The Marine, who was providing force protection fire, died in the rocket attack at a base near Makhmur, a town between the cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement on Saturday.

Cook did not identify the Marine who had been killed. He said several other Marines had been wounded and were being treated for injuries.

A US defence official said two rockets had been fired. One did not cause any damage.

In October, Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler, 39, of Roland, Oklahoma, became the first American to die in combat in Iraq since 2011 when he was killed during an overnight mission to rescue hostages held by Islamic State militants.

Earlier this year US Defence Secretary Ash Carter announced that a new US force of special operations troops had arrived in Iraq and was preparing to work with Iraqi forces to go after Islamic State targets.

While that force was expected to number only about 200, its deployment marked the latest expansion of US military pressure on Islamic State.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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