Europe

Defense Secretary Carter: American killed in combat in Iraq

Associated Press
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US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, left, receives the rank pennant from US Air Force General Philip Breedlove, the outgoing commanding officer of US and NATO troops in Europe, during the change in command at the United States European Command (EUCOM), in Stuttgart, Germany, Tuesday, May 3, 2016, with General Joseph Dunford, second from left, and Command Master Chief Crispian Addington, second from right, pictured in the background. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this April 28, 2016 file photo, Defense Secretary Ash Carter testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The NATO alliance is considering establishing a rotational ground force in the Baltic states and possibly Poland, reflecting deepening worry about Russian military assertiveness, Carter said Monday, May 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) (The Associated Press)

Chart shows U.S. combat deaths in Iraq since 2002; 2c x 3 inches; 96.3 mm x 76 mm; (The Associated Press)

Defense Secretary Ash Carter says an American serviceman has been killed near Irbil in Iraq.

Carter revealed the death at the outset of a news conference Tuesday in Stuttgart, Germany, where he has been consulting with European allies.

Carter says "it is a combat death," but he hasn't offered any further details.

Vice President Joe Biden visited Baghdad last week to exhort leaders of the government in Iraq to resolve internal political strife and concentrate on the effort to defeat the Islamic State group.

Carter, likewise, visited Baghdad recently. The Obama administration has been pressing the effort against IS, which has been slowed down in its quest to overrun Iraq.

Carter presided earlier at a ceremony installing a new commander of U.S. European Command, Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti