U.S. Commando Killed in ISIS Hostages Rescue in Iraq

A young American commando was killed when U.S. special operations forces conducted an operation to free dozens of hostages who faced imminent execution by ISIS in Iraq, U.S. officials said Thursday.

The commando was the first service member to die in combat operations against the militant group.

U.S. special operations forces rescued 70 hostages after receiving intelligence that there was about to be a mass execution, U.S. officials told NBC News.

There were varied reports on who the rescued hostages were: Kurdish fighters, Iraqi fighters, or a mix of those and other groups.

It is the first publicly-acknowledged mission of U.S. special operations forces conducted in Iraq since President Barack Obama sought authorization from Congress in February for "limited" ground combat operations against ISIS.

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