Pentagon IDs soldiers killed in artillery blast in Iraq

The Pentagon has identified the two U.S. soldiers killed in northern Iraq on Sunday.

Sgt. Roshain Euvince Brooks, 30, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Spc. Allen Levi Stigler Jr., 22, of Arlington, Texas died of “wounds sustained while engaged in combat operations in Iraq” on Aug. 13, the Pentagon said in a statement Monday evening.

The U.S. military has so far released few details of the incident, but Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning said earlier Monday that the soldiers’ Army artillery unit was firing on an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) position when an artillery round prematurely exploded. 

{mosads}Five other U.S. soldiers were wounded in the explosion but are expected to survive.

It is not known whether the artillery round malfunctioned or exploded due to human error.

All seven soldiers were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. The two killed were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and were stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.

The incident is under investigation, the Pentagon said in its statement.