A roadside bomb explosion in northern Iraq killed a 34-year-old Navy sailor from Orange County, the Pentagon said Friday, in the first U.S. casualty in the Iraqi-led offensive to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State. Finan is the fourth U.S. service member and the third Californian killed in the conflict against Islamic State since President Obama authorized military action in August 2014 and sent troops back to Iraq. Two other Californians have been killed in Iraq in the fight against Islamic State. Louis F. Cardin, 27, of Temecula, died in March after Islamic State rocket fire landed inside a coalition artillery base near Makhmur. william.hennigan@latimes.comTwitter: @wjhennALSONavy SEAL killed in combat in Iraq, U.S. officials sayMarine from Riverside County killed by Islamic State forces in IraqFacing Iraq government-led Mosul offensive, Islamic State extremists strike back

Source: Los Angeles Times October 22, 2016 00:12 UTC