Second US soldier killed in Iraq in a week

A US soldier died from sustaining injuries in a "non-combat" task in Iraq, the US Join Task Force claimed on Sunday.

"The soldier died as a result of an injury," a brief statement issued by the international coalition forces said, without revealing further information on the incident.

But an Iraqi military source suggested the "American soldier was injured on May 3 during a battle at Tel Saqf northeast of Mosul. One soldier was killed at the scene," he said.

"The soldier that died on Sunday was one of two that were injured during the battle."

This is the second loss for the US in Iraq in one week.

Last week, a US soldier was killed near Erbil in Iraq, as the Islamic State group launched a new offensive against Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the region.

The soldier was killed while performing his duty as an adviser to Kurdish Peshmerga troops in the north of the country.

There are ongoing clashes on battlefronts between the cities of Mosul and Erbil, with IS militants using a large number of suicide bombers against Peshmerga forces.

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Sources on the ground confirmed to The New Arab that US troops were fighting alongside the Peshmerga forces, with air support coming from the international coalition, to repel IS from the town.

Peshmerga fighters of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region have been heavily involved in the campaign against IS in northern Iraq.

The Obama administration has been pressing the effort against IS, which has been slowed down in its quest to overrun Iraq.