KABUL - An insurgent attack left one U.S. soldier dead and two others wounded in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, where hundreds of U.S. troops are deployed to train local forces and back them in the fight against the country's Taliban-led insurgency, the U.S. military said on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old soldier died Monday in an incident the military said was caused by “indirect fire,” a term often used to describe rocket attacks.
“At a time when we remember the patriots who founded our nation in freedom, we are saddened by the loss of one of our comrades who was here protecting our freedom at home,” said General John Nicholson, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan.
Seven U.S. soldiers have been killed in action this year in Afghanistan. The majority have died in the eastern part of the country, where the U.S. military has stepped up operations to fight the local Islamic State branch, which has established a foothold near the Pakistani border.
Fewer than 9,000 U.S. soldiers are currently deployed in Afghanistan. The Pentagon is considering plans to send an influx of between 3,000 and 5,000 more troops to bolster their presence.
The latest death likely will add to the growing pressure on President Donald Trump’s administration to complete its review of the situation in Afghanistan and decide on a strategy for its involvement in the 16-year war, which has grown increasingly violent since most foreign troops were withdrawn in 2014.
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