According to a statement from the coalition on the incident, the deaths and injuries were “not due to enemy contact.”
ISIS, however, issued a claim of responsibility, saying in a statement published online that they had fired Grad rockets at US forces in the village of Bewer, east of Tal Afar.
Tal Afar, 70 km west of Mosul, is still under ISIS control.
The coalition is conducting an investigation into the incident.
“There are no words to describe the respect I have for you and sorrow I have for your loss,” said coalition commander Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend extending his condolences to the families and fellow soldiers of those killed. “I hope there is some small solace in knowing their loss has meaning for our country and all the nations of the Coalition as the fallen service members were fighting to defeat a truly evil enemy and to protect our homelands.”
In May, a US service member died in Syria after being injured in a vehicle roll-over. Another died in March in Syria of natural causes.
In Iraq, one US service member died in late April due to an explosion near Mosul. Two coalition service members died in non-combat related incidents in Iraq, one in January and another in February near Ramadi.
