An Estonian soldier was killed Feb. 28 by an improvised explosive device manufactured by unknown rebels, a government spokesperson in Tallinn said. He was the first Baltic soldier to die in Iraq.

“This is an extremely painful reminder that the situation in Iraq has not yet stabilized and that joint efforts for peace by the coalition forces are well founded,” Estonian Prime Minister Juhan Parts said in a prepared statement.

The 21-year-old soldier, Junior Sgt. Andres Nuiamäe, was assigned to the ESTPLA-8 unit in Baghdad, according to the Estonian Ministry of Defence.

Latvia has 120 soldiers serving with coalition forces in Iraq, according to the Latvian Ministry of Defence.