US Marine Killed By ISIS In Iraq

A U.S. marine was killed after a base in northern Iraq came under attack from Islamic State militants Saturday, a Pentagon official said, the New York Times reported. The marine’s death marks the second combat casualty of the war against ISIS militants, according to U.S. military and Iraqi officials.

The Marine died from rocket fire after ISIS militants fired rockets into the small base, located in Makhmour; a frontline town controlled by Kurdish peshmerga forces on the outskirts of Kurdistan, U.S. officials reportedly said.

“This is the second combat death since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve, and it reminds us of the risks our men and women in uniform face everyday,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

The Marine, who was not immediately identified, died “providing force protection from fire support,” according to a press release. Several other Marines were wounded in the attack.

Earlier this week, Secretary of State John Kerry deemed that ISIS had committed genocide against Christians, Yazidis and Shiite Muslims in Syria and Iraq. Currently, the U.S. is leading the coalition fight against ISIS and has been actively bombing its militants, operations and facilities.