The first U.S. service member to die in combat operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been identified.
Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler, 39, died Thursday during a raid in northern Iraq to free hostages and capture members of ISIS, the Pentagon announced Friday.
{mosads}Wheeler, who was from Roland, Okla., and assigned to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, was among the U.S. Special Operations forces that took part in the anti-ISIS raid.
The U.S. soldier died from “wounds received by enemy small-arms fire” during the operation, according to a statement from the Pentagon.
There have been nine previous deaths as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led campaign against ISIS, but all of those were in non-hostile situations.
President Obama has said there would be no ground troops in the fight against the militants in Iraq. His administration has sent around 3,500 U.S. troops to advise and train Iraqi forces.
“On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense, we offer our sincere condolences to the family of the U.S. service member who was killed in this operation,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said Thursday.
U.S. helicopters and forces on the ground supported the Iraqi Peshmerga operation, which left four Peshmerga soldiers wounded and about 70 hostages freed.