US forces free 69 hostages held captive by Isis in Iraq

Requested by the Kurdistan Regional Government, the mission happened at an Isis prison near Hawija, in northern Iraq. A Reuters source in the region said the special forces had raided a house where Islamic State commanders were gathering, triggering gun battles and explosions that went on for hours.

An anonymous US defence official told Reuters that “dozens” of US troops were involved in the operation, adding: “It was a deliberately planned operation but it was also done with the knowledge that imminent action was needed to save the lives of these people.”

One US serviceman was shot and injured during the mission, then taken back to Erbil where he died, becoming the first US serviceman to be killed in ground combat operations against Islamic State militants.

Five US helicopters were launched from Erbil and the US was also providing the Kurdish peshmerga with intelligence support, air strike support and advisory support the defence official said.

The Kurdistan Region Government said six Islamic State militants had been detained and are in Kurdish custody, while more than 20 Isis fighters were killed.

It also said there were no Kurds among the 69 people rescued, but Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement that 20 of those freed were members of Iraqi security forces.