Two U.S. soldiers died after coming under direct fire during an operation in eastern Afghanistan.
A firefight killed two American service members and injured six others after a conflict in Nangarhar province on Saturday, according to reports. The incident is believed to have been a “green-on-blue” attack that left one fatality and three injuries for Afghan forces, as well.
A “green-on-blue” attack occurs when American troops are harmed by friendly forces or extremists posing as forces that are in partnerships with the United States. Officials believe “an individual in an Afghan uniform opened fire on the combined U.S. and Afghan force with a machine gun.”
It is not yet clear if the conflict was triggered by a Taliban infiltrator or if it was due to a dispute between U.S. and Afghan forces attempting to work together. An investigation into the incident is underway, and the names of the deceased service members have not yet been released. Initial reports indicated that as many as five or six Americans had been killed.
Multiple sources tell us it is as many as five or six US fatalities. One official says 6 on Afghan side too.
US military is confirming an incident — “a combined US & Afghan force conducting an operation in Nangarhar was engaged by direct fire” — but not providing any details. https://t.co/Tb9CiyyCgW
— Mujib Mashal (@MujMash) February 8, 2020
U.S. Forces-Afghanistan spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett confirmed that the firefight took place, telling Agence France-Presse, “A combined US and Afghan force conducting an operation in Nangarhar Province was engaged by direct fire on Feb. 8.”
The deaths of American soldiers in Afghanistan hit a five-year high in 2019 with 17 hostile fatalities. Last month, two U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan after their vehicle was targeted by an improvised explosive device. Around 13,000 troops are still deployed to Afghanistan.
