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One service member was in northern Iraq, near Irbil, and the other was in Syria, north of Raqqa
Both were participating in "advise and assist" missions
Two U.S. service members were wounded over the weekend in Iraq and Syria, one in each country, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said the two weren’t in “active combat,” but he declined to offer further details other than to note that one was in northern Iraq, near Irbil, and the other was in Syria, north of Raqqa.
Davis would not confirm the troops were taken off the battlefield via helicopter, saying he did not want to provide information to enemy forces. However, he acknowledged they were wounded seriously enough that they were not able to return to duty.
Both were wounded as a result of “indirect fire,” Davis said, which indicates perhaps rocket or mortar fire. Davis said it’s believed to be the first wounding of a U.S. military service member in Syria.
Both service members were participating in “advise and assist” missions and were behind the front line of combat.
Earlier this month, Navy SEAL Charles Keating IV was killed in Iraq when a team of U.S. military advisers came under attack from more than 100 ISIS fighters. He was the third American military member to die in combat in Iraq since the United States began fighting ISIS there in 2014.