Army National Guard Soldier Dies in Non-Combat Incident in Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 34-year-old soldier serving with the Indiana National Guard in Iraq has died in a non-combat incident, the Army said Monday.

While all combat operations have ceased for U.S. forces in Iraq, the U.S. maintains a presence of 2,500 troops to assist the Iraqi military in counter-Islamic State operations and training. Those forces have repeatedly come under attack in the 14 months since Hamas attacked Israel, spurring a wider, deadly response from Tel Aviv.

During the last year, Iranian-backed forces have launched one-way attack drones, rockets and missiles at U.S. facilities in Iraq in response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

In September, the U.S. announced an agreement with the Iraqi government to wrap up the American-led coalition’s military mission against the Islamic State group in Iraq by 2025. U.S. troops have departed some bases that they have long occupied during a two-decade-long military presence in the country.

Washington has had a continuous presence in Iraq since its 2003 invasion. Although all U.S. combat forces left in 2011, thousands of troops returned in 2014 to help the Iraqi government defeat IS.

Before Monday’s announcement, a total of 4,419 troops had died in Iraq since the beginning of the 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom military campaign, including 3,482 combat deaths and 937 non-combat deaths, according to the latest Defense Department data. A total of 31,993 troops were wounded in action in Iraq.

The Defense Department’s summary does not include all of the forces who returned from war with wounds that surfaced later, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or toxic exposure.

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