The U.S. Marine killed in Iraq over the weekend has been identified by the Pentagon as Gunnery Sgt. Scott A. Koppenhafer.
Koppenhafer was killed Saturday during combat operations by enemy small arms fire, according to the Department of Defense news release Sunday. Koppenhafer, 35, was from Colorado. He has a wife and two children.
He was named Marine Special Operator of the Year in 2018 by the Marine Corps Associations and was working on Operation Inherent Resolve, an operation fighting ISIS. He was assigned to the Marine Forces Special Operation Command in North Carolina, according to NBC News.
Honoring Gunnery Sergeant Scott A. Koppenhafer, 35, from Mancos, Colo., killed in action in Iraq Saturday supporting local forces, survived by his wife and two children pic.twitter.com/NreNM41e1w
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) August 12, 2019
A recent Pentagon watchdog report warned of resurgence from ISIS in Iraq and Syria. U.S. forces are struggling to combat the resurgence, according to the report.
ISIS had 18,000 fighters in Iraq committing suicide bombings, ambushes and assassinations, the report stated.
The group “solidified its insurgent capabilities in Iraq and was resurging in Syria” between April and June of 2019.
MORE: Trump Names Retired Navy SEAL as Acting Director of National Intelligence
The death is under investigation, according to the Pentagon.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
About Post Author
