US soldier killed in Syria IED blast

A US soldier died from his wounds Thursday after a blast caused by an improvised explosive device in northern Syria, the US military's central command said.

The man was wounded by the explosion in the vicinity of Ayn Issa, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, was quoted as saying in a CENTCOM statement.

"The entire counter-ISIL Coalition sends our condolences to this hero's family, friends and teammates," Townsend said using another acronym for the Islamic State.

The victim's identity was not immediately released. The coalition's policy is to defer to the relevant national authorities, the statement said.

The death came as Americans celebrate their national holiday of Thanksgiving.

"On this Thanksgiving, please be thankful that there are service members willing to take up the fight to protect our homeland from ISIL's hateful and brutal ideology," Townsend said.

The soldier’s death follows the death of another US service member in Iraq last month.

The naval officer was killed by a roadside bomb north of the Iraqi city of Mosul, where he was serving as an adviser to Iraqi troops.