iStock/Thinkstock(KANDARHAR, Afghanistan) — Two U.S. service members died after their convoy came under attack in Afghanistan.
According to a U.S. official, the convoy was on a routine training, advisement and assistance mission when it was attacked. The Taliban has claimed responsibility.
“I can confirm that two U.S. service members were killed in action in Kandarhar, Afghanistan, when their convoy came under attack,” Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said. “U.S. Forces Afghanistan will provide additional information as it becomes available.”
A statement from Resolute Support, the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, said the attack was on a NATO convoy.
The deaths raise the number of U.S. service members killed in action in 2017 to nine, matching the total in 2016.
An estimated 8,400 U.S. troops currently serve in Afghanistan, where they train and advise the Afghan military in the fight against the Taliban and the ISIS affiliate in that country.
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