US soldier killed in Iraq

A member of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State group militants has been killed in a rocket attack in Iraq.

1 min read

19 March, 2016

The US-led coalition has been training pro-government forces in fight against IS [Getty]

A soldier from the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday, the Pentagon has confirmed.

"The Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve can confirm the death of a coalition service member in northern Iraq today as a result of enemy action," it said in a statement.

The nationality of the killed service member was not specified, but a Pentagon official later confirmed to AFP the casualty was an American citizen.

More than 60 nations are involved in the global coalition against the Islamic State group.

The death was the result of a rocket attack on a base 45 miles (70km) from Mosul, the militants' main hub in Iraq.

A "small number" of other American troops were wounded in the attack, reported CNN News.

The US-led coalition has been providing aerial support to Iraqi troops fighting the militant group on the ground.

Almost 10,000 airstrikes have targeted more than 16,000 targets since the air raids began in 2014.

The United States, France, Britain, Australia and Italy have also been training Iraqi forces and pro-government militias fighting the militants across the country.