American killed in combat in Iraq was Navy SEAL

An American serviceman killed in Iraq by fire from the Islamic State group has been identified as a Navy SEAL.

• American serviceman killed in 'combat death' and by 'direct fire'
  
• Official: American was killed while as adviser to Kurdish fighters
  

A U.S. official says the SEAL was killed during an attack on Iraqi Kurdish positions outside the Islamic State-held city of Mosul on Tuesday morning.

It was the third death of a U.S. service member in Iraq since the U.S.-led coalition launched its campaign against IS militants in the summer of 2014. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called it a "combat death."

The official identifying the serviceman as a SEAL was speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the incident publicly.

Associated Press Writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.