WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) — The Pentagon confirmed 23-year-old Lance Cpl. Niall W. Cotisears, a Marine from northern Virginia, was been killed in combat in Afghanistan.

Cotisears, who lived in Arlington, died Saturday while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)