U.S. service member killed, 4 wounded in Afghanistan combat

A U.S. service member was killed and four others were wounded Monday during an operation in a part of Afghanistan in which U.S. forces have been combating both the Islamic State and the Taliban, U.S. military officials said Tuesday.

The fatality occurred in Nangarhar province’s Achin district, in a mountainous area along the border with Pakistan. The Islamic State in Khorasan, the militant group’s Afghan affiliate, established roots there in 2014, and the U.S. military launched a series of raids and airstrikes there in 2017 as it stepped up its campaign against the group.

U.S. military officials acknowledged the fatality Tuesday in a news release, saying that two of the wounded service members were receiving treatment at a nearby medical facility. The other two wounded service members have returned to duty.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own,” said Army Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr., the senior U.S. military commander in Afghanistan. “At this very difficult time our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of our fallen and wounded brothers.”

U.S. military officials in Afghanistan could not immediately be reached for additional comment. The name of the service member killed was being withheld until kin was notified.

At least 15 U.S. service members died in Afghanistan in 2017, including 11 in hostile actions. Seven of the 11 killed in combat died in Nangarhar province. The most recent combat fatality there occurred Aug. 16, when Army Staff Sgt. Aaron R. Butler, 27, was killed by an improvised device. He was a member of the 19th Special Forces Group.