---
title: "Third casualty: US confirms death of soldier in Iraq after shelling"
description: "US Central Command has confirmed the death of a third American soldier in Iraq. The soldier died while disarming an ordnance from a downed Iranian drone. Another soldier was injured, while the fate of a fourth servicemember remains uncertain."
date: 2026-07-19T22:26:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/us-confirms-death-of-third-soldier-in-iraq
tags: [centcom, iraq, iran, us-military, drone-attack]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Third casualty: US confirms death of soldier in Iraq after shelling

![American soldier in camouflage uniform and mask stands next to military equipment and flags of the USA and Poland, illustrating NATO forces' presence in the Iraq region following the incident with the death of a soldier.](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/19/ssha-podtverdili-smert-tretiego-soldata-v-irake/ssha-podtverdili-smert-tretiego-soldata-v-irake-1.webp)

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has officially confirmed the death of another American servicemember in Iraq. The incident occurred against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, marking the third confirmed death of US soldiers in recent days.

### Circumstances of the tragedy

According to data published in an official statement by the command on the social network X, the tragedy occurred on July 18 in northern Iraq. The servicemember died as a result of a controlled detonation of an unexploded ordnance. Shrapnel from this munition remained on the ground after a downed Iranian drone.

During the incident, another American soldier was injured. The condition of the injured is assessed as stable; he continues to receive medical attention for a minor injury.

### Rising number of casualties

Thus, the total number of American soldiers killed, officially confirmed by the command, has reached three. The day before, on July 17, following a massive attack by Iran, CENTCOM reported the death of two servicemembers and the disappearance of a third.

Command personnel conducted a thorough search at the site of the attack and discovered unidentified remains. The process of forensic examination is currently ongoing to confirm that the found remains belong to the missing soldier.

### Command position

In the statement, CENTCOM emphasized that they are not disclosing additional information, including the identities of the deceased and missing servicemembers. The command explains this by the need to show respect to the soldiers' families during the official notification process.