The United States gathered defense ministers from 11 other countries for talks on Wednesday about ways to strengthen the campaign against Islamic State, a day after a U.S. Navy SEAL was killed in Iraq during an attack by the militant group.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the defense ministers that despite recent gains "this fight is far from over".

"That point was brought into stark relief by yesterday's attack on Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq, which unfortunately claimed the life of an American service member," Carter said, speaking at the start of talks at the U.S. military's European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

The talks included ministers from France, Britain and Germany and were planned well in advance of Tuesday's news that a U.S. Navy SEAL was killed in northern Iraq when Islamic State fighters blasted through Kurdish defenses and overran a town.

The elite serviceman was the third American to be killed in direct combat since a U.S.-led coalition launched a campaign in 2014 to "degrade and destroy" Islamic State and is a measure of its deepening involvement in the conflict.

Read more:  Reuters