An SAS soldier who died in Syria alongside an American from the Delta Force unit was on a mission to capture a fugitive Islamic State leader, the Pentagon has said.

Sergeant Matt Tonroe, 33, a sniper from Manchester, was killed on Friday with Master Sergeant Jonathan Dunbar, 36, from Austin, Texas, by an improvised explosive device (IED), or mine. Five other soldiers were injured near the town of Manbij, in northern Syria, east of Aleppo.

“Coalition forces, in an advise, assist and accompany capacity with our partners were conducting a mission to kill or capture a known Isis member when they were struck by an improvised explosive device,” the Pentagon said. “This operation was part of the coalition’s mission to defeat Isis and we remain