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| American serviceman killed by 'direct fire' during battles against Isis in Iraq | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An American serviceman has been killed during battles against Isis in Iraq. | |
| Ash Carter, the US Defence Secretary, said the man was killed near Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, bringing the total combat deaths in the current US campaign to three. | |
| He revealed the death at the outset of a news conference in Germany on Tuesday. | He revealed the death at the outset of a news conference in Germany on Tuesday. |
| Mr Carter described the incident as “a combat death“ but gave no further details. | |
| A spokesperson for US Central Command (Centcom) said: ”A Coalition service member was killed in northern Iraq as a result of enemy fire. Further information will be released as appropriate.“ | |
| A military official said he was killed while performing his duty as an adviser to Kurdish Peshmerga troops and died in “direct fire”. | |
| The American serviceman was three to two to three miles behind a frontline when Isis fighters penetrated it, the official added. | |
| Joe Biden, the US Vice President, visited Baghdad last week to exhort leaders of the government in Iraq to resolve internal political strife and concentrate on the effort to defeat Isis. | |
| American special forces units are active in Iraq, working with the national army and Kurdish Peshmerga in operations against the so-called Islamic State. | |
| Earlier this year, Pentagon officials hailed the capture of a key militant but little information has emerged. | |
| Mr Carter announced a team’s deployment in Congress in December, saying they would conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and detain Isis leaders. | |
| Barack Obama has also sent military units to train and advise security forces in Iraq, where the US is leading an international coalition conducting air strikes against Isis. | |
| The Pentagon has previously announced the deaths of two servicemen since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve in July 2014. | |
| Staff Sergeant Louis F Cardin, 27, was killed by rocket fire in Makhmour in March, and Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler was shot dead during a hostage release operation with Delta Force in Hawija in October 2015. | |
| Additional reporting by AP | Additional reporting by AP |