American Killed Fighting in Syria
Keith Thomas Broomfield, 36, of Mass., died fighting alongside Kurdish forces.
— -- An U.S. citizen was killed fighting alongside Kurdish forces inside Syria, State Department officials told ABC News today.
Keith Thomas Broomfield, 36, of Massachusetts, died on the battlefield, according to social media posts linked to Kurdish fighters involved in the fight against the militant group ISIS. His death comes as a number of Americans have traveled to the region to join the fight against ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria, despite the U.S. State Department's urging not to do so.
"We can confirm that U.S. citizen Keith Broomfield was killed in Syria," the State Department said in emailed a statement to ABC News. "We are providing all possible consular assistance. Out of respect for the privacy of Keith’s family, we do not have any additional details to provide."
Broomfield was killed in fighting outside the northern city of Kobani, according to social media posts linked to the Kurdish People's Protection Units, commonly known as the YPG. The YPG Twitter account posted pictures of a man it claims is Broomfield wearing a YPG military uniform. ISIS appears to have posted a picture of Broomfield's passport, suggesting they took it off of him after he was killed.