The Department of Defense has identified a U.S. Army soldier killed in action in Afghanistan on Nov. 24 as Sgt. Leandro Jasso of Leavenworth, Washington.
- Jasso, 25, died “as a result of wounds sustained while engaging enemy forces in Khash Rod District, Nimruz Province,” the DoD said in a statement.
- U.S. Army Special Operations Command told Task & Purpose in a separate statement that Jasso “was wounded by small arms fire while conducting combat operations” and “was immediately treated and medically evaluated to the nearest medical treatment facility, where he died of his wounds.”
- Jasso enlisted in the Army in August 2012 and was assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington at the time of his death. This was his third deployment to Afghanistan.
- “Sgt. Jasso was a humble professional who placed the mission first, lived the Ranger Creed and will be deeply missed,” said Lt. Col. Rob McChrystal, commander of 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
- Jasso was the second American service member killed in Afghanistan this month and the 10th to die in the country this year.
- About 14,000 U.S. troops are currently serving in Afghanistan. 8,745 are assigned to the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission to train, advise, and assist Afghan security forces. The rest are mostly Special Operations forces conducting counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda, ISIS-K, and their local affiliates.
- A report released earlier this month by the Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel concluded that coalition forces and their local allies have made no measurable progress in Afghanistan over the past year. 35 percent of the Afghan population lives beyond government control or influence.
- Nearly 1,900 American service members have been killed in action in Afghanistan since 2001.