Deadly November: 3 US service members killed in Afghanistan
Three American service members died Tuesday when a roadside bomb exploded in central Afghanistan, the worst tragedy yet in a deadly month for U.S. forces in the war-torn country.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in the Shahbaz neighborhood just outside Ghazni, a city of more than 250,000 in a region where Taliban militants stepped up attacks in recent months.
Lt. Ubon Mendie, a spokesman for U.S. forces, said three other service members and one American civilian contractor were injured in the blast. The wounded were evacuated and provided with medical care, Mendie said.
Mohammad Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor, told Reuters that an armored vehicle carrying U.S. troops hit a large roadside bomb.
Identities of the victims will be released 24 hours after family members are notified, Mendie said.
At least 11 U.S. service members have been killed in Afghanistan this year, putting 2018 on a pace similar to the past few years. As recently as 2013, the United States had more than 100 military casualties – and the total was almost 500 in 2010.
The war began weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks, and the American death toll has exceeded 2,200. President Donald Trump decided last year to remain committed to Afghanistan, and about 15,000 U.S. troops serve largely in a support role for Afghan security forces.
James Piazza, a professor at Penn State University who specializes in the region, said it is not clear whether the United States is being drawn deeper into the Afghan conflict – and whether the public should be prepared for an increase in casualties.
“President Trump has stated that he intends to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan, focused on both stabilizing the Afghan government and on fighting militant groups in Afghanistan,” Piazza said. “An increase in military casualties might prompt questions about the end game for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.”
This month, there have been five U.S. deaths. Saturday, Army Sgt. Leandro Jasso, 25, was killed farther south in Helmand province. Jasso was wounded by small-arms fire and evacuated to the nearest medical treatment facility, where he died, the Army said.
An initial review indicates Jasso was probably accidentally shot by “our Afghan partner force,” the Army said. There were no indications he was shot intentionally. Jasso’s body arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Monday night.
On Nov. 3, National Guard Maj. Brent Taylor, 39, a married father of seven, was a victim of an insider attack. Taylor, killed by a member of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, had taken leave from serving as mayor of North Ogden, Utah, and was nearing completion of a one-year tour of duty.