A third U.S. service member has died in Iraq in less than two weeks, bringing the total number of troops killed there this year to 15, the most in five years.
The soldier, who was a member of the Army Special Forces, has not been identified. They were killed in Afghanistan’s Zabul Province Thursday after disembarking a helicopter at the beginning of a joint mission with Afghan forces. No further details, including the service member’s cause of death have been released.
Two Green Berets identified as 31-year-old Master Sgt. Luis DeLeon-Figueroa from Chicopee, Massachusetts, and Master Sgt. Jose Gonzalez, 35, of La Puente, California, were recently killed by gunfire during combat in the Faryab Province.
Their deaths marked the deadliest year for combat troops in Afghanistan since December 2014 when the combat mission to the country, Operation Enduring Freedom, formally ended.
In 2018, 13 service members were killed. In 2017, 11 were killed, which followed nine in 2016 and 10 in 2015. About 40 service members were killed in 2014 while the combat mission was still underway.
There are roughly 14,000 U.S. military personnel remaining in Afghanistan, many of whom are working to provide support to Afghan troops still fighting the Taliban.
