“Capt. Eric Richard Hart, 34, of Indianapolis, Indiana, died Dec. 28, 2024, in Iraq as a result of a non-combat related incident,” the Department of Defense said in a press release.
An investigation into the incident is underway.
He was in Iraq to support Operation Inherent Resolve, a US-led mission of around 2,500 troops in Iraq to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
ISIS rose to power and seized vast swathes of northern and central Iraq in 2014, declaring a so-called “caliphate.”
But the jihadists’ rule was brought to an end in 2017 when Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, supported by the US-led coalition, clawed back territory from the group.
In its latest report on anti-ISIS operations, the Pentagon said that the jihadists have “limited capabilities” in the country.
“ISIS displayed limited capabilities, conducting the lowest number of attacks observed since the onset of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq in 2003. The group also showed no significant improvement in attack sophistication,” said the report from October 29.
