Coalition Airstrike May Have Killed Iraqi Soldiers in First Friendly Fire Incident in Iraq

— -- A coalition airstrike may have killed some Iraqi soldiers near Fallujah on Thursday in what U.S. military officials say may be the first friendly fire incident of the U.S.-led airstrike campaign against ISIS.

"The Coalition offers condolences on the unfortunate loss of life of brave Iraq security forces on the front lines in the fight against Daesh today," said a statement issued by the headquarters for Combined Joint Task Force -- Operation Inherent Resolve. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

Coalition aircraft conducted several airstrikes near Fallujah, where Iraqi security forces are preparing to mount operations to retake the city held by ISIS for almost two years, according to the statement.

"Despite coordination with the Iraqi security forces on the ground, initial reports indicate the possibility one of the strikes resulted in the death of Iraqi soldiers," the statement said. A U.S. official said it is believed that up to 10 Iraqi soldiers may have been killed by the airstrike.

Another U.S. official told ABC News that American aircraft conducted the airstrike to provide support to Iraqi troops engaged in a combat situation with ISIS fighters.

"We will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the facts," the statement said. We have formally invited Iraqi participation in the investigation."

The statement added that "to the best of our knowledge, there have been no previous incidents of friendly fire in Iraq involving the Coalition during the course of Operation Inherent Resolve. We are fully committed to the safety of our Iraqi partners while pursuing the destruction of our mutual enemies."