STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that an American serviceman has been killed near Irbil in Iraq.
“It is a combat death,” Carter said at the outset of a news in Stuttgart, Germany where he has been consulting with European allies this week.
The defense secretary provided no other details, other than to tell reporters that the serviceman lost his life “in the neighborhood of Irbil.”
“A Coalition service member was killed in northern Iraq as a result of enemy fire,” the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. “Further information will be released as appropriate.”
The CENTCOM statement noted it is the policy of the military “to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities.”
A U.S. military official said the American was killed while performing his duty as an adviser to Kurdish Peshmerga troops. He was killed by “direct fire” after Islamic State forces penetrated the Peshmerga’s forward line. The American was three to two to three miles behind that front line, the official said
Vice President Joe Biden visited Baghdad last week to exhort leaders of the government in Iraq to resolve internal political strife and concentrate on the effort to defeat the Islamic State group.
Carter, likewise, visited Baghdad recently. The Obama administration has been pressing the effort against IS, which has been slowed down in its quest to overrun Iraq.
Carter presided earlier at a ceremony installing a new commander of U.S. European Command, Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti.
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Thanks “W.”
Enjoying your retirement and endless government pensions?
How do YOU define American Imperialism and occupation?
Very sad to lose another working class kid on the front lines…the Bush kids, the Clinton kid, and the Obama kids will never have to worry about seeing the front lines!
Reagan + Bush I + draft dodging Clinton + draft dodging Baby Bush + draft dodging Obama = America’s path to permanent war!
Just over 50 cents of every Federal tax dollar collected goes to the military and cost of past wars. This was even higher during the baby Bush years and his wars that were funded by tax cuts for the rich! The gift that keeps on giving…to the rich and the defense industry establishment that is by far the single reason we have continuing and growing deficit!
Obama promised change…how’s that Clinton and Obama change thing working for you now?
Crank up the draft again with no deferments. Those with minor medical problems have to perform some sort of public service.
This war criminal is easy to hate, for many reasons, like maybe the 100s of millions innocent lives, like yours and mine, he has destroyed and continues to destroy throughout the world. And with his horrible crimes, he contributes to a significant way to ACD and implosion of American quality of life and our struggle now for survival for millions of us - and counting, creating humans who really hate Americans now worldwide. No wonder. Am I surprised? He is the major terrorist on the planet. No one else, not a single so-called “terrorist” comes close to his creation of human and animal / environmental suffering on this beautiful planet.
You sir, are not very bright. Obama was born in 1961. So he was all of 12 when the draft was stopped. Or under the tin foil lid, is the belief that we were drafting 12 year olds all the time?