U.S. Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

© Reuters / Scott Olson / Pool

FOX News: U.S. service member becomes 15th to be killed in Afghanistan this year

A U.S. service member was killed in Afghanistan on Thursday, officials said, bringing the total number of combat deaths there this year to 15 – and making this the deadliest year since the Pentagon announced the end of combat operations in 2014.

The 2019 death toll in Afghanistan has already surpassed the 13 troops killed there last year.

The service member killed Thursday was not immediately identified, in keeping with U.S. Department of Defense policy withholding the names until 24 hours after notification of next of kin.

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WNU Editor: This is the third soldier killed in Afghanistan this week .... Third U.S. Soldier Dies in Afghanistan in Just Over a Week (New York Times).

More News On Reports That A U.S. Soldier Was Killed In Afghanistan

Special Forces soldier dies during combat ops in Afghanistan -- Army Times
Special Forces soldier dies during combat ops in Afghanistan -- Military Times
US service member killed in Afghanistan: NATO -- AFP
US service member killed in Afghanistan -- CNN
Third US Service Member in Nine Days Killed in Afghanistan -- Military.com

U.S. Military Contractor Found Alive After Being Reported Killed In Afghan Bombing

NBC: U.S. military contractor found alive after he was reported killed in Afghan bombing

The Afghan man was later determined to have fallen in with a group of civilians in the chaos after the explosion, a U.S. military official told NBC News.

A civilian working for the U.S. military was found alive after he was reported to have been killed by a car bomb in Afghanistan, an American military official told NBC News on Tuesday.

The unidentified Afghan man was wounded in an attack that killed three U.S. service members outside the Bagram Airfield 25 miles north of Kabul.

The victim was riding in the military vehicle with at least four American servicemembers when the roadside bomb detonated, the official said. Coalition forces released a statement on Monday saying the man was killed in the attack.

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More News On The U.S. Military Contractor Being Found Alive After Being Reported Killed In Afghan Bombing

Three Americans slain in Bagram blast identified as Marines, one a decorated NYC fireman -- Stars and Stripes
Contractor reported killed in Afghan blast found alive -- The Hill
US Contractor Found Alive After Being Announced Dead in IED Attack -- Military.com
U.S. Forces Confirm 3 Marines Killed and Contractor Injured in Afghanistan Taliban Attack -- Time

Three US Troops And 1 U.S. Contractor Killed In Afghanistan IED Blast

FOX News: Three US troops, 1 contractor killed in Afghanistan IED blast, Pentagon says

Three US troops and 1 contractor were killed by an improvised explosive device Monday near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced. In addition, three U.S. service members were wounded in the blast.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, adding that a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle near the NATO base in Bagram district, in Parwan province.

The injured were evacuated and were receiving care, the Pentagon said. The names of those killed were being withheld for 24 hours until the notification of next of kin has been completed, as per Defense Department policy.

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More News On Three US Troops And 1 U.S. Contractor Killed In An Afghanistan IED Blast

3 American soldiers, 1 US contractor killed in Afghanistan -- AP
Three U.S. service members, one contractor killed in Afghanistan -- Reuters
Three US troops, contractor killed in Afghanistan blast: official -- AFP
3 US service members and 1 contractor killed in Afghanistan -- CNN
Car bomb kills 3 U.S. troops and a contractor in Afghanistan -- Military Times
Car bomb kills three US servicemembers, one contractor outside Bagram Air Field -- Stars and Stripes

Afghan, U.S. Troops Kill 32 Taliban In Clashes

Guns Over Afghanistan: The shadow of repression stalks the beleaguered
country, especially from within. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

From Reuters:

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan and U.S.-led coalition troops killed 32 Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan, including some who dressed as women in an attempt to escape, the U.S. military said on Saturday.

The Taliban opened fire with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades on a patrol of Afghan security forces and coalition troops in Uruzgan province on Thursday, the U.S. military said in a statement.

The patrol returned fire then moved to higher ground and called in air strikes, killing three militants.

Militants soon attacked the patrol again, the statement said, and 29 more insurgents were killed.

"During this engagement, insurgents attempted to disguise themselves in women's clothing in order to escape," it said.

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News On Afghanistan From Other Sources:
US-led coalition: 32 militants killed in southern Afghanistan amid intensifying struggle -- International Herald Tribune
Taliban set to increase Afghanistan attacks: Pentagon -- ABC Online
U.S. Sounds Afghan Alarm -- Wall Street Journal
Pakistan fails to pressure Taliban on Afghan border: Gates -- AFP
Pentagon: Taliban 'resilient' in Afghanistan -- CNN
Gates Calls for Better Security on Pakistan-Afghanistan Border, Welcomes Pakistani Initiative -- Voice Of America
British soldier killed in Afghanistan takes death toll to 109 -- The Telegraph
Taliban chief who killed Cpl Sarah is taken out by laser-guided missiles -- Daily Mail
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 461 -- AP

My Comment: This war has the potential to be as bloody and as costly as the Iraq war .... but the U.S. media have put so little attention on a conflict that is now many times "worse" than what is happening in Iraq.