The soldier, assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, died Friday "in a non-hostile accident" in Anbar province, the military said in a statement.

The military said it was investigating the death, but gave no other details.

The province is a hotbed of insurgent activity and includes the cities of Fallujah, Ramadi and Qaim near the Syrian border.

As of Friday, at least 1,513 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

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