Artillery accident kills two US soldiers in Iraq

An artillery “mishap” killed two U.S. soldiers in northern Iraq on Sunday while they were fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants.

Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning said Monday that an Army artillery unit was firing on an ISIS mortar position when an artillery round prematurely exploded, killing the two soldiers and injuring five others.

All seven soldiers were evacuated by helicopter. The two, who have not yet been named publicly, later died. The remaining five soldiers are expected to survive.

{mosads}ISIS claimed Sunday that they were responsible for the two deaths, but there is “no indication” the group played a role in the accident, Manning told reporters at the Pentagon.

Manning added that the incident is under investigation and no further details were available.

Iraqi forces, aided by the U.S.-led coalition, last month liberated Mosul from ISIS control. The forces are now struggling to remove the group from its remaining strongholds in northern Iraq.