A U.S. and a British service member in the U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State were killed by an improvised explosive device in Syria, U.S and British officials said on Friday, Reuters reports.
They are the first coalition service members to be killed or wounded in an attack this year.
Two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity and citing initial information, said one of the people killed in the blast on Thursday blast was an American. They said the incident took place near the city of Manbij in northern Syria.
Later, the British Ministry of Defence said a soldier embedded with U.S. forces was also killed. The soldier’s family had been informed, a ministry spokesperson said.
Earlier on Friday, a coalition statement said two personnel had been killed and five wounded in Syria, but did not provide their nationalities. The wounded were evacuated for treatment, according to the statement.
The explosion happened on Thursday night, the coalition statement said.