WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) — One U.S. soldier was killed Thursday during a special operations hostage rescue mission in which 70 Kurdish hostages were freed in Iraq.
Two U.S. officials confirmed the soldier’s death to CNN. American and Kurdish commandos raided an Islamic State outpost near Hawija in northern Iraq, The New York Times reported.
Prisoners were freed and several IS militants were captured.
U.S. helicopters supported the U.S. special operations forces and Kurdish commandos during the raid, seemingly the most significant American special operations effort against the Islamic State since commandos killed Abu Sayyaf, the Islamic State’s top Financier, in May.
