U.S. service member is reportedly killed in action

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN >> A U.S. service member was killed in action in Afghanistan on Saturday, the NATO-LED Resolute Support mission reported.

The brief announcement did not provide a name or other details, in accordance with the Pentagon’s policy of withholding information until the next of kin is notified.

The death brought the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan to 2,430 since the Afghan war began in 2001, according to the count kept by the website icasualties. org. Ten U.S. service members have been reported killed in action in the country this year.

This was the first reported U.S. combat death since two Special Forces soldiers, Master Sgt. Michael B. Riley and Sgt. James G. Johnston, were reported killed by small-arms fire during a firefight with Taliban insurgents in the southern province of Uruzgan on June 26.

In 2018, 13 U.S. troops were reported to have been killed in combat in Afghanistan, up from 11 in 2017. The number of U.S. troop deaths in the country peaked at 498 in 2010.

There has been an upsurge in fighting this year, prompted in part by attempts by both sides to gain leverage at peace talks in Doha, Qatar, between the United States and the Taliban.

The seventh round of talks was suspended Tuesday to give negotiators an opportunity to consult with their leaderships, with reports of progress on reaching a preliminary agreement.

About 14,000 U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan, with about half providing training and support for Afghan security forces and half engaged in counterterrorism operations. In recent months, the United States has ramped up airstrikes and commando raids against insurgents in partnership with Afghan forces.

The number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan peaked at about 100,000 in 2011.