The State Department on Wednesday confirmed that an American citizen who was in Syria to help Kurdish forces fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has been killed.
“I can confirm that U.S. citizen Keith Broomfield was killed in Syria,” spokesman Jeff Rathke told reporters.
Rathke had no other details about Broomfield’s death, and could not say when or how he was killed. He also said he was unsure where his remains are, or whether his body would be returned to the United States.
Rathke said State was offering all the aid it could to his family.
According to NBC News, Broomfield joined the Kurdish fighters voluntarily, and died in a battle in a rural area outside of Kobani. NBC said Twitter accounts linked to Kurdish fighters hailed Broomfield as a “martyr.”
“I didn’t want him to go but I didn’t have a choice in the matter,” said Broomfield’s mother, Donna, according to NBC.
