A U.S. service member was killed in Iraq when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle, the Department of Defense announced on Oct. 1, the 13th American combat death in Operation Inherent Resolve, the three-year-old campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and the 8th fatality in 2017 alone.
The Marine Corps is sending additional troops to Afghanistan in response to a request from Task Force Southwest, a 300-strong contingent of Marines based in Helmand province, according to an Aug. 8 NBC News report.
A resurgent Taliban force has taken control of Sangin in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, bringing denials from the country's fledgling government and bad memories for Marines who fought and bled to make the district safe.
Editor’s Note: This article by Richard Sisk originally appeared on Military.com, the premier source of information for the military and veteran community.
In late 2009, President Barack Obama announced a surge of troops in Afghanistan. In the first full year of that operation, 2010, of the nearly 500 U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan, more than half were from Helmand province. It was the deadliest year of the war for American troops and also the deadliest in year in the province.
