One of two service members killed in Syria confirmed as American

A U.S. Special Forces operator advises a local female Manbij Military Council trainee during marksmanship training Feb. 21, 2017, at Sanaa Training Center in Northwest Syria. This is the first cycle of women to graduate and join the MMC. The MMC is a multi-ethnic force that includes Kurds, Arabs, Christians, Turkmen, Yazidis and others. The course is administered by Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve trainers. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)

Two Coalition personnel were killed and five were wounded by an improvised explosive device in Syria at approximately 9 p.m. GMT March 29.

The wounded personnel received immediate care and are were evacuated for further medical treatment, according to a press release from CENTCOM.

A defense official confirmed that one the KIA was a United States service member but did not specify which branch of the armed forces they were serving in.

Army Col. Ryan Dillon, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, did not say who was behind the attack.

“There is an investigation under way to identify who they could possibly be. We have our initial assessment and thoughts on that but we won’t provide until the investigation is complete,” he said.

The attack reportedly happened in Manbij, only a few hundred yards away from the Manbij Military Council, an Arab-Kurdish group in the town backed by the United States.

The names of the deceased will be released at the discretion of the pertinent national authorities.

Details pertaining to the incident are being withheld pending further investigation.

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