US soldier killed by IED near ISIS stronghold of Raqqa becomes first American serviceman in Syria to die fighting bloodthirsty jihadis
Squaddie dies from wounds after stepping on booby trap
A U.S soldier has become the first serviceman to be killed fighting ISIS after stepping on an explosive device in northern Syria - as his homeland celebrated Thanksgiving.
He died from severe wounds he suffered after detonating the improvised explosive device close to the town of Ayn Issa - about 30 miles north of Raqqa.
US officials confirmed the death in a statement.
Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend said: “The entire counter-ISIS coalition sends our condolences to this hero's family, friends and teammates.
“On this Thanksgiving, please be thankful that there are service members willing to take up the fight to protect our homeland from ISIS's hateful and brutal ideology.”
The soldier has not been identified.
It comes after a U.S. Marine died in the war-torn country last month in an accident over the northern Gulf.
Corporal Jordan Spears, 21, of Memphis, Indiana, was a crewman aboard a V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft flying off the USS Makin Island and went into the sea when the aircraft lost power shortly after taking off.
Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, tweeted about the death.
“U.S. service member died from wounds in northern #Syria supporting our partners in the fight against #ISIL terrorists.”
For more than two years the United States has led a 66-nation coalition using air strikes against the jihadists' positions in war torn Syria and Iraq.
Washington also has deployed special forces in Syria to advise the Arab-Kurdish alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and improve the coalition's targeting of air strikes.
As many as 300 US special forces personnel may be in Syria.
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