A member of the US military died from his wounds Thursday after a blast caused by an improvised explosive device in northern Syria, the US military’s central command said.

The man was wounded by the explosion in the vicinity of Ayn Issa, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition , was quoted as saying in a CENTCOM statement.

“The entire counter-ISIL Coalition sends our condolences to this hero’s family, friends and teammates,” Townsend said, referring to the Takfiri group operating in Iraq and Syria.

The soldier’s identity was not immediately released. The coalition’s policy is to defer to the relevant national authorities, the statement said.

For more than two years the United States has led a 66-nation coalition allegedly using air strikes against the Takfiris’ positions in Syria and Iraq.

Washington said it has deployed special forces in Syria to advise the Arab-Kurdish alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and improve the coalition’s targeting of air strikes.

As many as 300 US special forces personnel may be in Syria, according to media reports.

Source: AFP