The U.S. military has confirmed that a U.S. service member that was part of the Mosul offensive was killed by an improvised explosive device on Thursday. An American official, that agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, has confirmed that the service member was an American adviser for the Iraqi forces that are making the push to reclaim the Iraqi city from ISIS terrorists.
This is the fourth U.S. combat death that has occurred since U.S. troops were deployed to advise the Iraqi forces in 2014. American officials have not released the name or identity of the fallen soldier. It is a sobering reminder that, while they are only serving in advisory roles, the men and women who have volunteered to serve our country face great danger.
Iraqi forces continue to encroach on the ISIS-controlled city of Mosul and have been capturing smaller villages that pepper the landscape surrounding the city. It is believed that less than 5,000 ISIS fighters remain in Mosul. Approximately 100 U.S. service members have been brought in to assist Iraqi and Kurdish forces as they approach the war-torn city.
Iraqi’s prime minister has said that they anticipate capturing the city more easily, and quickly, than previously anticipated. Kurdish Peshmerga forces are closing in on the city from the northeast while other Kurdish force close in from the east and Iraqi forces approach from the south.
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