2 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq in Combat Operations<br />13, 2017<br />BAGHDAD — Two American soldiers were killed while conducting combat operations in Iraq, the United States military said in a statement on Sunday, adding<br />that "initial reports indicate the incident was not due to enemy contact." Five other soldiers were wounded, the statement said, without providing further details.<br />In addition to the two killed on Sunday, five other American soldiers have been killed in Iraq in the fight against<br />the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, including two in the battle to retake the northern city of Mosul.<br />Iraq’s prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, declared victory against the Islamic State in Mosul in July,<br />and Iraqi forces are now preparing to retake the Islamic State-held town of Tal Afar.<br />More than 1,200 Iraqi forces were killed in the battle for Mosul and more than 6,000 were wounded, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said this month.
