BAGHDAD: A US soldier killed in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone was a 30-year-old father from North Carolina who had served for nearly a decade, according to a military statement Tuesday and his family. Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, of Fayetteville, will receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted posthumously to staff sergeant. The Army said it was investigating the circumstances of his death Sunday at an air base in Irbil. He leaves behind a 6-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter, his mother said.

The U.S. military has identified a soldier killed while disarming an Iranian drone in Iraq as Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton from North Carolina.

Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed in action at Erbil Air Base, Iraq, on July 19.

Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton died during a drone detonation in Iraq. He was killed in action on July 19 at Erbil Air Base. Swinton was assigned to Fort Bragg, North…