Coalition Casualties Syria – On March 30, 2018 Central Command announced that two coalition personnel were killed and five were wounded by an improvised explosive device in Syria at approximately 9 p.m. GMT March 29th. The wounded personnel received immediate care and were evacuated for further medical treatment. The names of the deceased will be released at the discretion of the pertinent national authorities. Initial reports indicate there was one American and one British KIA.
British KIA. One British news report has said that the UK casualty was embedded with US forces on a counter-Daesh operation when the incident occurred. He has been identified as Sergeant Matt Tonroe from the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment. A statement from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense reads:
“Sergeant Tonroe was born in Manchester on the 14th of August 1984. He enlisted in the Army on the 27th September 2004. On completion of his initial training, he joined the 3rd Battalion of The Parachute Regiment in Colchester where he served as part of the Sniper Platoon. He rapidly developed an array of competencies and combat experiences tha were to lay the foundations of an outstanding career. During his service, Matt deployed numerous times on operations to Afghanistan and the Middle East”. [1]
Some news reports indicate the IED incident occurred in or near Manbij, Syria.
Footnotes:
[1] British Soldier Killed in Syria Names as Sgt Matt Tonroe, Forces.net, March 31, 2018.
DoD Press Releases:
Death of Coalition Personnel, CENTCOM, March 30, 2018.
Press Reports:
UK Special Forces soldier killed in Syria bomb blast, Sky News, March 30, 2018.
Syria bomb kills 2 coalition troops from US and UK, The Fayetteville Observer, March 30, 2018.
Related News Stories:
US Steps Up Protection for Coalition Forces in Northern Syria’s Manbij, Voice of America, March 30, 2018.
