The U.S. Navy SEAL killed in an ambush overseas has been identified

Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken, 38. US Navy Photo

The Pentagon has identified the Navy SEAL who was killed in action in Somalia this week, as U.S. forces assisted in an operation against Al Shabab. Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken, 38, was a distinguished 15-year veteran who had had been awarded the Bronze star for heroism in combat four times.

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Milliken was a Virginia Beach-based Navy SEAL from Maine, serving as a member of SEAL Team Six. He was killed, and two other SEALs were injured during a gunfight with the Islamic terror group, marking the first American combat fatality in Somalia since the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” battle.

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“We helped bring them in with our aircraft,” Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said of the Somali forces in a statement. “We were there maintaining a distance back while they were conducting the operation. That’s when our forces came under fire, which unfortunately resulted in the death.”

U.S. Navy

He added that the attackers were “quickly neutralized on the ground,” but did not say whether the operation was otherwise successful.

“Senior Chief Kyle Milliken embodied the warrior spirit and toughness infused in our very best Navy SEALs,” Rear Admiral Timothy Szymanski, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, said. “We grieve his death, but we celebrate his life and many accomplishments. He is irreplaceable as a husband, father, son, friend and teammate – and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and teammates.”

The mission was authorized under orders given by the Obama administration. Milliken is the second SEAL to be killed in action this year, as Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens, 36, was killed in the January Yemen raid ordered by President Trump.

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