U.S. and Iraqi army officers walk inside an Iraqi army base at Qayyara west of Mosul, Iraq, August 10, 2017. (REUTERS Photo)

BAGHDAD, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Two U.S. soldiers were killed and five others wounded during combat operations in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said on Sunday.

"Two U.S. service members were killed and five injured conducting combat operations in northern Iraq, Aug. 13, 2017," the U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted on its website.

"Initial reports indicate the incident was not due to enemy contact," the brief statement said, adding that the incident is under investigation.

"The fallen service members were fighting to defeat a truly evil enemy and to protect our homeland," the statement quoted Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of U.S. forces battling the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq as saying.

The U.S. military announcement came as thousands of U.S. troops are participating in the war against the IS group in Iraq. The troops are mainly providing training and logistic support to the Iraqi forces, in addition to airstrikes by a U.S.-led international coalition.