U.S. service member killed in Afghanistan

Second American ‘19 combat death

A U.S. service member was killed in combat in Afghanistan Tuesday.

The U.S. military would not provide additional details — such as where the service member died — saying “the incident is under investigation.”

“In accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the name of the service member killed in action is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete,” a statement from the Pentagon said.

This is the second U.S. service member killed in action in Afghanistan in 2019.

Army Sgt. Cameron Meddock died last week at a medical facility in Germany after being wounded by small arms fire Jan. 13 during a combat operation in Badghis Province, Afghanistan.

Sgt. Meddock, 26, of Amarillo, Texas, was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.

On Monday the Taliban carried out a suicide attack on an Afghan intelligence base in the Maidan Wardak province of Afghanistan, killing a large number of personnel from the National Directorate of Security.

The U.S. has approximately 14,000 troops in Afghanistan with the majority of those forces serving in noncombat roles as part of the NATO-led training mission, helping to train and advise local Afghan forces.

A smaller number of U.S. Special Operations Forces participate in counterterrorism missions against international terror groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State.

While those missions also involve partnering with Afghan troops, they can also involve U.S. forces in more direct combat operations.

In 2018, 13 American troops were killed in combat in Afghanistan, up from 11 in 2017.

Several U.S. defense officials told CNN late last year that President Donald Trump wants to significantly reduce the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Two administration officials told CNN that Mr. Trump wants the plans made in hopes he could announce the reduction in his State of the Union speech, which is traditionally at the end of January or early February.

The U.S. military was ordered to begin planning to withdraw about half the troops in Afghanistan, a U.S. defense official with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN in December.

But the drawdown has not yet started, and military officials have been unable to clarify how many troops will leave the country, or by when.

John Allen, a retired fourstar general who previously commanded the NATO coalition in Afghanistan, said removing troops from Afghanistan could pose a “real crisis.”

“Pulling out right now — just the announcement — would create chaos within the strategy,” Mr. Allen said.

The Taliban now hold sway in almost half of Afghanistan and carry out attacks on a daily basis, mainly targeting the country’s beleaguered security forces.