Defense officials say Marine may have been killed by friendly fire in Iraq: report

The U.S. military is investigating whether a Marine who died in Iraq was killed by friendly fire, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

The Pentagon initially said that Gunnery Sgt. Scott A. Koppenhafer was killed Saturday “after being engaged by enemy small-arms fire while conducting combat operations.”

{mosads}Officials told the Journal they are investigating whether he was accidentally struck by Iraqi or U.S. forces.

The 35-year-old was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, which fights the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

His death was the first combat fatality in Iraq since the deployment of U.S. troops after ISIS took control of Mosul in 2014.

President Trump has scaled down U.S. presence in Iraq during his tenure, but there are still roughly 5,200 U.S. troops in the country.