Paratrooper from Utah dies in Syria, authorities confirm

(CNN) — A US service member died in a vehicle accident Tuesday in Syria, the military said.

Sgt. Bryan Cooper Mount, 25, of St. George, Utah, was assigned to Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led military coalition that’s fighting ISIS.

The incident remains under investigation, but the accident occurred during reconnaissance operations. Mount died when his all-terrain vehicle rolled over, according to a Facebook post from the 82nd Airborn Division of the U.S. Army.

“Sergeant Bryan ‘Cooper’ Mount was a true American hero Paratrooper who served honorably and gave his life defending his fellow citizens and our Nation,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the 82nd Airborne Division commanding general, says in a news release. “Cooper was a three time volunteer on his second combat deployment and his loss will be deeply felt across our entire formation. He was a husband, son, brother and leader who was adored by everyone who knew him. Our sole focus now is providing unyielding support to Cooper’s family. Our hearts are with his wife, his parents, his extended family and fellow Paratroopers as they grieve through this incredibly tough time.”

Further information about Mount or the accident was not immediately available.

Another service member died in Syria earlier this year. Army Spc. Antonio I. Moore, 22, from Wilmington, North Carolina, died in January in Deir ez-Zor province, according to a release from the US Defense Department at the time.

Moore died “during a rollover accident while conducting route clearing operations” and the incident was under investigation, the department said at the time.

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