2019 has been the deadliest year for U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan in five years.
The Wednesday deaths of two U.S. service members in Afghanistan push the total killed in combat this year to 14, the most since 2014. The two service members reportedly died from small arms fire, although further details including names and the circumstances of the fatalities has not yet been released.
About 2,400 military personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S. intervention in 2001, although those numbers have declined since December 2014 when the combat mission to the country, Operation Enduring Freedom, formally ended.
In 2018, 13 service members were killed. The death toll was 11 in 2017, nine in 2016, and 10 in 2015. About 40 service members were killed in 2014 while the combat mission was still ongoing. The deadliest year for troops in Afghanistan was 2010, which saw almost 500 deaths.
There are still roughly 14,000 U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, with many providing support to Afghan troops still fighting the Taliban.
