A soldier who was killed during a controlled demolition of a downed Iranian drone has been identified.

Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed in action at Erbil Air Base, Iraq, on July 19. The incident remains under investigation.

Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. 

A second service member received a ‘minor injury’ during the detonation of the ‘unexploded ordnance’ from the drone, US Central Command said.

Swinton’s death adds to a US toll of 17 since the US and Iran launched the war against Iran on February 28.