UK soldier fighting ISIS in Syria was killed by friendly fire, not roadside bomb

LONDON — Officials say a British special forces soldier who died fighting the Islamic State group in Syria was killed by friendly fire, rather than in a roadside bomb as previously believed.

Sgt. Matt Tonroe died in March 2018 alongside U.S. commando Master Sgt. Jonathan J. Dunbar while on a joint operation in Manbij, northern Syria, with American special forces. The Pentagon had said they died from improvised explosive devices.

But investigators have concluded that Tonroe, 33, was killed by an explosive carried by a colleague.

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DoD identifies soldier killed in Syria IED attack

Master Sgt. Jonathan Dunbar, 36, of Austin, Texas, was deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

By Michelle Tan

Britain’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that while “it was initially believed that Sgt. Tonroe was killed by enemy action,” a subsequent investigation concluded he was killed by “the accidental detonation of explosives carried by coalition forces.”

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