Pentagon identifies two soldiers killed in apparent insider attack in Afghanistan

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The Pentagon has identified the two soldiers who died in Afghanistan on Monday in an apparent insider attack.

Spc. Michael Isaiah Nance, 24, of Chicago, Illinois and Pfc. Brandon Jay Kreischer, 20, of Stryker, Ohio were both killed in a “combat related incident” in Tarin Kowt on July 29, the DoD said in a news release on Tuesday.

Both were assigned to 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The incident is under investigation, the DoD said.

Col. Art Sellers, the 3rd Brigade’s commanding officer, wrote on Monday to families of their loss: “As we move forward together, I ask for your thoughts and prayers for the families affected and for the paratroopers of their unit who are still deployed,” Sellers wrote.

A total of 14 service members and at least two defense contractors have been killed in Afghanistan in 2019.

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Paul Szoldra

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Paul Szoldra was the Editor in Chief of Task & Purpose from October 2018 until August 2022. Since joining T&P, he has led a talented team of writers, editors, and creators who produce military journalism reaching millions of readers each month. He also founded and edits Duffel Blog, a popular satirical newsletter for the military. Before becoming a journalist in 2013, he served as a Marine infantryman in Afghanistan, Korea, and other areas of the Pacific. His eyes still go up every time a helicopter from Camp Pendleton flies over his office in Southern California.