2 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan – By Reuters and Associated Press (NBC News) / March 22 2019
Friday’s deaths are the latest casualties in the 17-year war.
Two U.S. service members were killed on Friday while conducting an operation in Afghanistan, according to a statement from the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Kabul.
In accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the names of the service members killed in action were being withheld until after notification of the next of kin.
The statement didn’t specify the location of the combat or say who the soldiers were fighting.
There are about 14,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, supporting Afghan forces as they struggle with a resurgent Taliban who now hold sway over almost half the country and also the Islamic State affiliate, which has expanded its footprint in Afghanistan even as its self-proclaimed “caliphate” has crumbled in Syria and Iraq.
The U.S. military’s mission is focused on guiding and aiding Afghan forces battling the Taliban, who were ousted from power in 2001.
The latest talks wrapped up this month with both sides citing progress, but no agreement to end the 17-year war.
The Resolute Support Mission consists of 17,000 troops, about half from the United States.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/2-u-s-service-members-killed-afghanistan-n986141
