Three U.S. troops were killed and another three were wounded on Tuesday by an improvised explosive device near Ghazni city, U.S. officials announced.
- The names of the fallen and wounded troops are being withheld pending next of kin notification, said Army Lt. Ubon Mendie, a spokesperson for Operation Resolute Support. The three wounded troops and an American contractor who was also wounded in the blast have been evacuated and are receiving medical care.
- With Tuesday’s incident, a total of 13 U.S. service members have been killed in Afghanistan in 2018.
- Separately, Resolute Support announced that a Ranger who was killed on Nov. 24 was likely accidentally shot by a member of the Afghan security forces. Sgt. Leandro Jasso was killed while fighting Al Qaeda militants in Nimrod province.
- “Early interviews indicate the tragic accident occurred when the partnered force became engaged in a close-quarter battle during an assault on one of multiple barricaded al Qaeda shooters,” Resolute Support announced on Tuesday.
- An initial review into Jasso’s death found no indications that he was shot intentionally, a Resolute Support news release says. Jasso, 25, was on his third deployment to Afghanistan.
- “The loss of Sgt. Jasso is felt by his family and loved ones, by all who served with him and by all on this mission to protect our country and our allies,” Army Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said in the news release.
- “Sgt. Jasso was killed defending our nation, fighting Al Qaeda alongside our Afghan partners,” Miller continued. “All of us, and throughout our coalition of 41 nations, recognize the threats posed by groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS and are determined to fight them here.”
SEE ALSO: The Longest War: 8 Years After My Last Deployment, I Returned To Afghanistan As A Reporter. Here’s What I Found
WATCH NEXT:
