ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Col. Stephan Spottel of the German military was found dead in his hotel room in Erbil Wednesday, the German defense ministry announced.
Col. Spottel, 56, who oversaw the training of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Germany’s participation in the anti-Islamic State (ISIS) coalition was found dead in Cristal Hotel in the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region.
A statement from the German defense ministry said that at this point, “there is no indication of suicide or third party interference," according to AP news agency.
A Kurdish security official told Rudaw that “There is no indication of murder and it could more likely be natural death.”
Germany is an active member of the anti-ISIS coalition and has provided training for the Peshmerga forces as well as anti-tank Milan Missiles that have been most effective in fighting off ISIS on the Kurdish borders.
According to Die Welt newspaper, Spottel’s deputy Col. Jan Heymann has now taken charge of the German military personnel in Erbil.
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