Two U.S. service members were killed in Iraq during a mission to eliminate a stronghold of the Islamic State militant group, military officials said Monday.
The American troops were accompanying and advising Iraqi security forces during a raid Sunday in the mountains of north-central Iraq and were killed by “enemy forces,” according to a statement from the Combined Joint Task Force — Operation Inherent Resolve.
The names of the two service members were not immediately released, pending notification of their families, the statement added.
Around 5,200 U.S. troops are currently in Iraq to assist Iraqi security forces as they fight ISIS, according to The Associated Press.