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American paramilitary fighter dies fighting ISIS

by Ben Kamisar - 06/10/15 1:49 PM ET

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) killed a Massachusetts man who had volunteered to fight with Kurdish forces against the terror group, NBC News is reporting.

State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke confirmed the death of Keith Broomfield, 36, in Syria, but said he can’t share any more information “out of respect for the privacy of Mr. Broomfield’s family.”

He added that the State Department is providing consular assistance to the family, which could include helping to identify the body and issuing a report on the death, depending on the circumstances.

{mosads}Idris Nassan, a Kurdish official from the Syrian city of Kobani, confirmed to NBC that an American fighting with the Kurds died but did not specify a name.

Broomfield’s mother, Donna, told the network she hadn’t heard much from her son outside of some text messages when he arrived in Syria to fight ISIS.

“I didn’t want him to go, but I didn’t have a choice in the matter,” she said.

The news comes as President Obama authorized a plan to add up to 450 new U.S. troops to the region to “train, advise and assist” the Iraqi military’s fight against ISIS.

While not serving in combat, they will also establish a new military base in Anbar province to help efforts to retake the city of Ramadi.

— Updated at 2:06 p.m.

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