WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Defense says a coalition service member killed Saturday by enemy fire in northern Iraq was a Marine from Southern California.
Officials say in a press release Sunday that Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, of Temecula, died March 19 from wounds suffered when his unit was hit by rocket fire. The incident is under investigation.
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Cardin was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press on Saturday that the attack occurred at the Makhmour base outside the Islamic State group-held city of Mosul.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to brief the media.
The last killing of a U.S. service member in Iraq was in October 2015.