A U.S. service member was killed in Afghanistan’s restive Helmand province Tuesday after his patrol triggered a roadside bomb. The ensuing blast wounded another American and six Afghan soldiers.
According to a statement released by the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, U.S. troops were accompanying their Afghan counterparts near the province’s capital of Lashkar Gar when their unit came under attack.
“On behalf of all of U.S. Forces – Afghanistan, as well as Resolute Support, our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of those involved,” said Gen. John W. Nicholson, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan in a statement.
Helmand province has been the site of heavy fighting in recent weeks as Taliban forces have used the summer months to launch multiple offensives across the country. Estimated to control well over 50 percent of Helmand, the group’s pressure on its capital has forced U.S. and NATO troops to shuttle resources to help prop up the embattled Afghan security forces.
On Monday, the NATO-led mission announced that 100 U.S. troops had been moved to Lashkar Gar to primarily advise Afghan police in the area.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post · Thomas Gibbons-Neff
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