2 U.S. soldiers are killed in suicide bomb attack
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A suicide bombing attack on a NATO convoy near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday left two U.S. service members dead, a Pentagon spokesman said.
Navy Capt. Jeff Davis confirmed the deaths. There was no information on the number of troops wounded.
The Taliban quickly took responsibility for the attack, and a spokesman for the insurgents said the bombing allegedly killed 15 soldiers, but the Taliban routinely exaggerate their casualty figures.
The Taliban also said the attack destroyed two armored tanks. The insurgents’ spokesman for southern Afghanistan, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, said fighter Asadullah Kandahari was the “hero” who carried out the attack with a small pickup truck, packed with explosives.
Kandahar province was the Taliban spiritual heartland and the headquarters of their leadership during the five-year rule of the Taliban, which ended with the U.S. invasion in 2001.
The service members were part of an international force referred to as the Train, Advise and Assist Command south, a reference to their location in the country.
The combined U.S. and NATO troop contingent currently in Afghanistan is about 13,500. The Trump administration is deciding whether to send about 4,000 or more U.S. sol- diers to Afghanistan in an attempt to stem Taliban gains.
Also on Wednesday the Taliban ambushed and killed Jaghatu District Gov. Manzur Hussain and a passenger in his car.
The Taliban have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks hitting district headquarters, government officials and Afghan National Security Forces with increasing frequency.