US soldier killed in Syria

WASHINGTON (AA) – A U.S. soldier was killed Thursday in northern Syria, Central Command said.

The military said the “service member died from wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast in the vicinity of Ayn Issa in northern Syria”.

Approximately 250 U.S. Special Operation Forces have been deployed to Syria to support Syrian Democratic Forces, a group led by PKK/PYD.

The group is trying to isolate Daesh’s self-declared capital, Raqqah, 55 kilometers (34 miles) south of Ayn Issa.

"The entire counter-ISIL Coalition sends our condolences to this hero's family, friends and teammates," said Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led anti-Daesh coalition. "On this Thanksgiving, please be thankful that there are service members willing to take up the fight to protect our homeland from ISIL's hateful and brutal ideology."

The U.S. military did not disclose the identity of the soldier killed.