Two U.S. Service Members Killed During ‘Operation’ in Afghanistan

Two United States service members were killed during an operation in Afghanistan on Friday, bringing to four the American combat deaths in the war-torn country so far this year, the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission said in a statement.

The statement did not immediately release any details about the soldiers but said they had been killed during an ‘operation’ in the country on March 22.

“In accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the name of the service members killed in action are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete,” the statement noted.

It comes as there are roughly 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan. In December last year, the Trump administration ordered the military to begin plans to withdraw about 7,000 American troops from the country in the coming months. But the drawdown has not yet started.

Fighting continues to flare across Afghanistan more than a week after the latest round of talks between the U.S. and the Taliban ended in Doha, as Washington continues to seek an end to the nearly two decades of war in the country.