A Navy SEAL who was killed by ISIS fighters died while helping rescue a team of American troops from an unexpected firefight with the jihadists, AFP reports.
Charles Keating IV became the third US troop to be killed in the US-led coalition campaign against the IS group when he was struck by a bullet during a pitched battle on Tuesday.
Keating, 31, from Arizona, was part of a "quick reaction force" comprised of special operations troops on a mission to support US military advisers working with local peshmerga forces, Baghdad-based US military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said.
According to Warren, the jihadists were unaware US troops were in vicinity but coincidentally launched an assault on the village.