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WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (AP) — A former member of U.S. Special Forces was killed in Ukraine this week, U.S. officials said Friday. They said he was not fighting in an official capacity.
Daniel W. Swift, a former Navy SEAL, is listed on official records as having deserted since March 2019. The Navy did not provide additional information about his U.S. military record, but said, “We cannot speculate as to why the former sailor was in Ukraine.”
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The Navy said Swift was killed Wednesday.
At least five other Americans are known to have been killed in the fighting in Ukraine, according to State Department statements and reports from individual families.
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The U.S. government has discouraged Americans from fighting for Ukraine, citing fears they could be captured and held hostage by Russian forces. In the first weeks of the war, at least 6,000 people contacted the Ukrainian embassy in Washington seeking information on how to volunteer on Ukraine’s behalf.
Ukrainian military attaches said last year that half of potential volunteers were quickly turned down for lack of military experience, criminal records or unfitness for service.
An unknown number of Americans joined forces of foreign fighters supporting Kyiv. Others volunteer with aid groups and human rights organizations.
The State Department declined to specify Swift’s death, but said in a statement that it could confirm the recent death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine.
“We are in contact with his family and are providing all possible consular assistance,” the department said. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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