Islamic State claims attack on U.S. forces west of Mosul

Islamic State on Sunday claimed an attack on U.S. forces assisting Iraqi troops in the war on the jihadist militants in northern Iraq.

Islamic State fighters fired Grad rockets on American troops east of Tal Afar, a town still under control of the militants west of Mosul, according to an online statement from the group.

The American military had said earlier that two U.S. service members had been killed and five injured during combat operations in northern Iraq on Sunday.

Islamic State's self-proclaimed "caliphate" effectively collapsed last month, when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces completed the recapture of Mosul, the militants' capital in Iraq, after a nine-month campaign.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)