2 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq, 5 wounded

Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Two U.S. soldiers were killed and five others were injured in Iraq Sunday, the Pentagon said.

The cause of the casualties has not been specified by authorities, but "initial reports indicate the incident was not due to enemy contact," the U.S. Department of Defense said, adding that the incident is under investigation.

"The entire counter-ISIS Coalition sends our deepest condolences to these heroes' families, friends and teammates," said Army Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commander of Operation Inherent Resolve. "There are no words to describe the respect I have for you and sorrow I have for your loss. I hope there is some small solace in knowing their loss has meaning for our country and all the nations of the coalition as the fallen service members were fighting to defeat a truly evil enemy and to protect our homelands."

According to Stars and Stripes, the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq is currently in the process of taking the town of Tal Afar, which is held by the Islamic State terror group.

Including Sunday's deaths, the Pentagon's Operation Inherent Resolve has resulted in 43 U.S. soldier fatalities since the mission began in 2014, according to statistics.