Washington (CNN) The Pentagon identified a US Marine killed in Iraq this weekend as Gunnery Sgt. Scott A. Koppenhafer.

Koppenhafer, 35, of Mancos, Colorado, was killed Saturday by enemy small arms fire while conducting combat operations, the Department of Defense said in a Sunday news release.

He was assigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The incident is under investigation, the Pentagon said.

Koppenhafer was killed while advising and accompanying Iraqi Security Forces on a planned operation in Nineveh province, Iraq, according to a press release from Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve.

According to Marine Corps Times , Koppenhafer was named "Marine Special Operator of the Year" in 2018 by the Marine Corps Association for his role in guiding elite Iraqi Special Operations Forces in northern Iraq.

Read More