Pentagon data shows that suicide is the No. 1 cause of death among U.S. troops deployed to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Middle East.
USA Today cites the findings from the ISIS offensive, which began in August 2014. Of the 31 U.S. deaths as of Dec. 27, 11 were caused by suicide.
The other deaths were combat (eight), accidents (seven), and illness or injury (four). One death is still being investigated and the cause has not been officially determined.
"I don't think there's one single cause for it," senior behavioral scientist Rajeev Ramchand of the Rand Corp. told USA Today of military suicides.
"There are a multitude of factors. They are also picking up on a trend toward more suicide in the U.S. population as a whole. Maybe there's a universal stress on everyone in the military that affects them in profound ways."
Seven of the eight U.S. combat deaths have occurred in 2016, according to the figures.
While the overall number of U.S. deaths in the fight against ISIS is low, the Pentagon estimates that 50,000 ISIS fighters have died in attacks by bombs, missiles, and drones.
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said earlier this month the Pentagon would send 200 additional troops to Syria to help international forces defeat ISIS in its headquarters of Raqqa.
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