American killed while fighting with Kurdish forces against Islamic State

KOBANI, Syria, June 10 (UPI) -- An American who joined Kurdish forces to fight the Islamic State has died in Syria, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.

IS militants killed Keith Broomfield, 36, in the countryside near Kobani. The cause and date of his death weren't clear.

Broomfield's mother, Donna Broomfield, told NBC News her son left Massachusetts to fight the terror group about four months ago.

"I didn't want him to go but I didn't have a choice in the matter," she said, adding that she hadn't heard from him much recently.

"I'm waiting for his body to come back," she said.

The State Department is working with the Czech government to provide "all possible consular assistance" to Broomfield's family. The United States doesn't have a diplomatic presence in Syria so must work through the central European country there.

Social media accounts associated with the Kurdish People's Protection Union (YPG) called Broomfield a martyr.