PICTURED: Brave US soldier killed in operation to free 70 hostages from evil ISIS jihadis

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/614294/US-soldier-killed-raid-Islamic-State-Syria-hostage

THIS is the first picture of the US soldier who was killed in a joint US-Iraqi military operation to free hostages from the grip of the evil Islamic State (ISIS).

By Levi Winchester

PUBLISHED: 00:00, Fri, Oct 23, 2015 | UPDATED: 21:46, Fri, Oct 23, 2015

IG • AP

Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler was killed during a raid on ISIS

The death of Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler, 39, marked the first American soldier to be killed in ground combat since the US started its offensive against the terror group last year.

He lost his life during the daring rescue mission which was undertaken this week in Hawija, Iraq, where around 70 hostages were freed from ISIS militants.

The military procedure came after the US gained intelligence from sources that showed executions were imminent, including graves being dug for hostages.

Around five ISIS jihadis were detained in the incident and "a number" were killed.

An ISIS militant holding the group's notorious black flag

The fight against ISIS

Tue, October 6, 2015

The battle against ISIS militants (also abbreviated as Daesh, ISIL, IS and Islamic State) continues in the Middle East.

Smoke rises following a U.S led coalition airstrike during a military operation to regain control of the Tamim district in southern Ramadi [AP]

MSgt Wheeler joined the Army in 1995 after graduating from Muldrow High School in Oklahoma.

Throughout his career he was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan numerous times and was understood to have been part of the Army's top secret Delta Force.

His unit was believed to have been support Kurdish fighters during the raid where he was killed.

The body of Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler will be flown back to the US on Saturday for a ceremony attended by his family.

Today the US pledged to conduct more raids on ISIS, according to defence secretary Ash Carter.

He said: "When we find opportunities to do things that will effectively prosecute the campaign, we're going to do that.

"Raids is one of those categories and I suspect that we'll have further opportunities in the future and we're going to avail ourselves."

The overnight raid took place where ISIS commanders were gathering, triggering gun battles and blasts that lasted several hours.

ISIS have control of large swathes of land in both Syria and Iraq

ISIS are currently facing airstrikes by Russia

Dozens of US troops were said to have been involved in the mission.

A defence official said: "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."

Hawija is a stronghold of ISIS militants in Iraq who have captured Kurdish peshmerga fighters in battles.

The US has been launching airstrikes against ISIS targets in Iraq since the summer of 2014