Washington, May 3 (EFE; additional context by The Costa Rica Star).- A U.S. Navy Seal who was advising and supporting Kurdish Peshmerga troops in Iraq died Tuesday in an attack by Islamic State fighters north of the city of Mosul.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter confirmed the death from Stuttgart, Germany, where he is on an official visit, initially without providing information as to the soldier’s identity.

Later, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey officially stated:

“Our state and nation are in mourning today over the loss of a U.S. serviceman – and one of America’s finest. Navy SEAL Charlie Keating IV, a graduate of Arcadia High School in Phoenix, was killed this morning in an ISIS attack in Iraq.”

This is the third U.S. service member to die in combat in Iraq since the beginning of June 2014, when Washington launched its campaign against the IS in the Middle Eastern country.

In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that the soldier was killed by “enemy fire” during the IS attack on Kurdish positions north of Mosul, located between three and five kilometers (1.8 and 3.1 miles) from the Kurdish troops’ defensive lines.

Pentagon sources told CNN that the IS attack was complex and coordinated involving about 100 combatants, and that one member of the Seals died.

The IS on Tuesday launched attacks on three fronts against Peshmerga troops north of Mosul, a Kurdish source reported to EFE.

Using carbombs, heavy machinery and armored vehicles, the jihadists managed to enter the Peshmerga base, where Navy Seals were paying a visit.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden last week made a surprise trip to Iraq, where he reasserted Washington’s support for the fight against the jihadists and offered economic backing to the government of Prime Minister Haidar al Abadi.

There are 3,870 U.S. soldiers in Iraq at present, a contingent that has trained 17,500 local troops and 2,000 police, according to the latest official figures.

Recently, Carter announced that Washington will sent about 200 more troops, along with Apache attack helicopters, to Iraq to support local security forces in the fight against the IS. EFE

Outward Bound in Costa Rica

As a teenager, Charles Keating participated in a reality television production in Costa Rica.

Outward Bound is a 2002 production that aired in the Discovery Kids cable network. The premise of the show was similar to Survivor; it featured four boys and four girls trekking through the Costa Rican jungle.

In an article republished by the Arizona Republic today, young Charles Keating spoke about his experience in Costa Rica:

“For breakfast we’d have rice, beans and eggs mixed together. For lunch, we’d have rice and beans again and for dinner, rice and beans,” he said.

The best part of the three weeks was celebrating his 16th birthday in the rain forest.

“I was with a family who had 18 children, and one of them had a birthday the same day,” he said. “I got a machete for my birthday.”