US Marine killed in ISIS rocket fire in Iraq ID'd as 27-year-old from Temecula

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.

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.