MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - An American working for an international de-mining group died during an operation to clear mines and unexploded ordnance near the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday, police and security officials said.
Police and security sources said he was part of a team working for the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD). The team was clearing mines left from the war with Islamic States militants in a village near Qayyara, some 60 km (38 miles) south of Mosul.
A initial report for the incident seen by Reuters said the worker was trying to defuse "unexploded ordnance body which suddenly went off and killed the him immediately".
Two security sources and one police official confirmed the worker was an American citizen. They declined to release his name or other details. The FSD did not respond to email from Reuters.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State, which once held large swathes of the country, in December 2017. The United Nations said in February it could take many years to clear Mosul of hazards such as improvised explosive devices left by retreating Islamic State fighters.
(Reporting by Baghdad newsroom; writing by Ahmed Rasheed; editing by Larry King)