Two U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan Monday, bringing to 12 the number of Americans killed in combat there this year, according to a tally by the Washington Examiner.
The deaths were reported without further details by the NATO-led Operation Resolute Support in a brief news release.
In accordance with Pentagon policy, the names of the deceased are being withheld pending 24 hours after notification of next of kin.
Two additional U.S. troops died in Afghanistan this year in what were described as “non-combat” circumstances, bringing the total number of American deaths to 14, equal to the number of U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan in all of 2018.
The news of the latest American casualties comes as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a Washington audience he’s been instructed by President Trump to sharply reduce the level of American forces in Afghanistan before the 2020 presidential election.
“That’s my directive from the president of the United States. He’s been unambiguous: End the endless wars, draw down, reduce,” Pompeo told the Economic Club of Washington Monday. “It won’t just be us,” he said, but also “countries from all across Europe and around the world.”
