Two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the American-led NATO mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.

The identities of the soldiers were being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The statement did not offer any details surrounding the circumstances of their deaths.

A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the two service members were killed in an ambush in eastern Wardak Province, The New York Times reports.

The deaths occurred one day after an unannounced visit to Kabul, the Afghan capital, by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is holding direct talks with the Taliban in Doha, the Qatari capital. The seventh round of the talks are scheduled to begin on Saturday.

"We've made clear to the Taliban that we're prepared to remove our forces. I want to be clear, we've not yet agreed on a timeline to do so," Pompeo told reporters during an unannounced stop in Afghanistan on Tuesday. The presence of troops in Afghanistan is "conditions-based, he said.

The Taliban refuses to talk directly with the Afghan government, which it considers a puppet of the U.S.

More than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led coalition invaded the country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. The coalition sought to crush the Taliban and hunt down al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

The U.S. makes up the overwhelming majority of 14,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan. About 100,000 troops were stationed there at the height of the war. </s> CLOSE

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, is greeted by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on June 25, 2019, during an unannounced visit. At right is Afghan Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)

Two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the American-led NATO mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.

The identities of the soldiers were being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The statement did not offer any details surrounding the circumstances of their deaths.

A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the two service members were killed in an ambush in eastern Wardak Province, the New York Times reported.

The deaths occurred one day after an unannounced visit to Kabul, the Afghan capital, by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is holding direct talks with the Taliban in Doha, the Qatari capital. The seventh round of the talks are scheduled to begin on Saturday.

"We've made clear to the Taliban that we're prepared to remove our forces. I want to be clear, we've not yet agreed on a timeline to do so," Pompeo told reporters during an unannounced stop in Afghanistan on Tuesday. The presence of troops in Afghanistan is "conditions-based, he said.

The Taliban refuse to talk directly with the Afghan government, which it considers a puppet of the U.S.

More than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led coalition invaded the country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. The coalition sought to crush the Taliban and hunt down al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

The U.S. makes up the overwhelming majority of 14,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan. About 100,000 troops were stationed there at the height of the war.

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/06/26/aghan-war-2-u-s-service-members-killed-possible-taliban-ambush/1569137001/ </s> KABUL, Afghanistan — Two United States soldiers were killed during a military operation in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, bringing to nine the total number of American military fatalities in the country this year.

A statement released by the American-led NATO mission in Afghanistan confirmed the two deaths but did not provide further details.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said the two service members were killed in an ambush in eastern Wardak Province.

The deaths came just days before the next round of talks between the Taliban and the United States. The new round is scheduled to start on Saturday in Doha, the Qatari capital. </s> Two US service members were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, NATO said, the latest international casualties as the US and the Taliban prepare for a new round of talks.

NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan gave no further details, but the deaths came less than 24 hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced visit to Kabul and said he hopes for a peace deal with the Taliban "before September 1".

"In accordance with US Department of Defense policy, the names of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete," NATO said in a statement.

The Taliban claimed in a statement they killed two American soldiers in an ambush in Sayed Abad district of southern Wardak province on Wednesday, but there was no immediate confirmation from NATO whether it was the same attack.

The blast brings to nine the number of US service members killed in Afghanistan so far this year, compared to 12 killed in all of 2018.

In his visit with President Ashraf Ghani, Pompeo said peace was Washington's "highest priority". Last September the US began a fresh push to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table to end America's longest war.

The next round of talks between the Taliban and the US are set to begin on June 29 in Doha.

The talks have centered on four issues: counter-terrorism, the foreign troop presence, an intra-Afghan dialogue, and a permanent ceasefire.

US officials have previously said they are hoping for a deal before the upcoming Afghan presidential elections, which have already been delayed twice and are now set for September.

The US now has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan -- down from a peak of around 100,000 -- most of them deployed to train and advise Afghan counterparts.

Nearly 2,300 American soldiers have died and more than 20,400 have been wounded in the country since a US-led coalition ousted the Taliban in 2001. </s> KABUL: At least 10 policemen were killed in clashes with Taliban fighters in the central Afghan province of Wardak, officials said on Sunday, amid fighting to wrest control of arterial highways a day after Taliban fighters blew up bridges.

The Taliban set fire to a government building in Wardak’s Sayeed Abad district and killed the district police chief along with nine other policemen on Saturday night, a senior police official said.

Repeated assaults by Taliban on strategically important provinces, such as Wardak and nearby Ghazni have underscored how volatile security remains in Afghanistan two weeks before nationwide parliamentary elections.

At least 25 Taliban were killed by Afghan securityy forces, government officials said, and reinforcements from neighbouring provinces were deployed to regain control of contested highways. Officials said Afghan forces had driven out Taliban from the highway that connects Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, to the major southern city of Kandahar.

Abdul Rahman Mangal, a spokesman for the Wardak governor’s office, said the Taliban raided some civilian houses after killing 10 policemen in that province, destroyed newly built checkpoints and cut power to some parts of the city.

Government forces counter-attacked to stop the insurgents from approaching the city, Mangal said. Afghanistan’s power supply company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, said in a statement major power lines serving Wardak and Ghazni had been cut.

The power cuts also affected parts of the nearby provinces of Logar and Paktia. It said teams would be sent to repair the lines as soon as security improves. A statement from the Taliban’s main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the Taliban had taken the centre of Sayeed Abad in Wardak and all surrounding security checkpoints, killing numerous members of the security forces and seizing weapons, ammunition and vehicles.

Mohammad Arif Noori, a spokesman for Ghazni’s governor, said one soldier was killed by Taliban fighters as they tried to gain control over parts of the province nearly two months after being pushed back from the city by US-backed Afghan forces. The Taliban attacked Ghazni, a strategically important centre straddling the main highway linking Kabul with Afghanistan’s south, in August.

It was the largest tactical operation launched by the Taliban since they overran the northern city of Kunduz in 2015. That confrontation killed 150 members of Afghanistan’s security forces and 95 civilians, as well as hundreds of Taliban fighters. </s> At least 10 officers killed in two days of fighting for control of key highways

At least 10 policemen died in clashes with Taliban fighters in the central Afghan province of Wardak, officials said on Sunday, amid fighting to wrest control of important highways a day after the insurgents blew up bridges.

The Taliban set fire to a government building in Wardak's Sayeed Abad district and killed the district police chief along with nine other officers on Saturday night, a senior police source said.

Repeated assaults on strategically important provinces, such as Wardak and nearby Ghazni, have been a show of strength by the Taliban, underscoring how volatile security remains in Afghanistan two weeks before parliamentary elections.

Afghan security forces killed at least 25 Taliban insurgents, government officials said. Reinforcements from neighbouring provinces were sent to regain control of the contested highways.

Officials said Afghan forces drove out Taliban insurgents from the highway that connects the capital, Kabul, to the major southern city of Kandahar.

Abdul Rahman Mangal, a spokesman for Wardak's governor, said the Taliban raided civilian homes after killing the 10 policemen, destroyed newly built checkpoints and cut power to some parts of the city.

Afghanistan’s power company said major power lines serving Wardak and Ghazni were cut. The power cuts also affected parts of the nearby provinces of Logar and Paktia.

A statement from the Taliban's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the insurgents took the centre of Sayeed Abad and all surrounding security checkpoints, killing members of the security forces and seizing weapons, ammunition and vehicles.

Mohammad Arif Noori, a spokesman for Ghazni's governor, said one soldier was killed by Taliban fighters as they tried to take parts of the province nearly two months after being pushed back from its main city by US-backed Afghan forces.

The Taliban attacked Ghazni, a strategically important centre straddling the main highway linking Kabul with Afghanistan's south, in August. It was the largest tactical operation launched by the insurgents since they overran the northern city of Kunduz in 2015.

That confrontation killed 150 members of the security forces and 95 civilians, as well as hundreds of Taliban fighters.

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_______________ </s> KABUL (Reuters) - At least 10 policemen were killed in clashes with Taliban fighters in the central Afghan province of Wardak, officials said on Sunday, amid fighting to wrest control of arterial highways a day after Taliban fighters blew up bridges.

The Taliban set fire to a government building in Wardak’s Sayeed Abad district and killed the district police chief along with nine other policemen on Saturday night, a senior police official said.

Repeated assaults on strategically important provinces, such as Wardak and nearby Ghazni, have been a show of strength for the Taliban, underscoring how volatile security remains in Afghanistan two weeks before nationwide parliamentary elections.

Abdul Rahman Mangal, a spokesman for the Wardak governor’s office, said the Taliban raided some civilian houses after killing 10 policemen, destroyed newly built checkpoints and cut power to some parts of the city.

Government forces counter-attacked to stop the insurgents from approaching the city, Mangal said.

A statement from the Taliban’s main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the insurgents had taken the centre of Sayeed Abad and all surrounding security checkpoints, killing numerous members of the security forces and seizing weapons, ammunition and vehicles.

Mohammad Arif Noori, a spokesman for Ghazni’s governor, said one soldier was killed by Taliban fighters as they tried to gain control over parts of the province nearly two months after being pushed back from the city by U.S.-backed Afghan forces.

The Taliban attacked Ghazni, a strategically important centre straddling the main highway linking Kabul with Afghanistan’s south, in August. It was the largest tactical operation launched by the Taliban since they overran the northern city of Kunduz in 2015.

That confrontation killed 150 members of Afghanistan’s security forces and 95 civilians, as well as hundreds of Taliban fighters. </s> At least 10 policemen have been killed in clashes with Taliban fighters in the central Afghan province of Wardak, officials said.

Sunday’s clashes come amid fighting to wrest control of arterial highways a day after Taliban fighters blew up bridges along those roads, blocking traffic between the capital Kabul and Ghazni, Zabul and Kandahar provinces.

The fighting also cut off electricity to four provinces: Maidan Wardak, Logar, Ghazni and Paktia.

Abdul Rahman Mangel, the provincial governor’s spokesman, told the Associated Press the attack began late on Saturday and appeared to be aimed at seizing the Sayed Abad district headquarters in the Maidan Wardak province.

The Taliban set fire to a government building in the district and killed the district police chief along with nine other policemen, according to a senior police official.

The Taliban said they overran the district headquarters, but local officials denied the claim.

Mangel also said the Taliban raided homes after the attack.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told the Associated Press that reinforcements have been sent to and “most areas in the district” are under control.

Repeated assaults on strategically important provinces, such as Wardak and nearby Ghazni, have been a show of strength for the Taliban, underscoring how volatile security remains in Afghanistan two weeks before parliamentary elections.

A statement from the Taliban’s main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said fighters had taken the centre of Sayeed Abad and all surrounding security checkpoints.

The group has seized a number of districts across the country in recent years and regularly attack security forces.

In August, the Taliban attacked Ghazni, the largest tactical operation launched by the Taliban since they overran the northern city of Kunduz in 2015.

That confrontation killed 150 members of Afghanistan’s security forces and 95 civilians, as well as hundreds of Taliban fighters. </s> KABUL, Afghanistan — Two American service members were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, a day after an unannounced visit to the country by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The military did not immediately provide any details of the deaths but indicated that the service members were killed in combat. The Taliban insurgent group claimed responsibility, saying the two Americans were slain in an ambush in Wardak province, about 60 miles southwest of Kabul.

The deaths were reported three days ahead of a seventh round of U.S.-Taliban talks scheduled for June 29 in Qatar.

“The names of the service members killed in action are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete,” the U.S.-led NATO mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday in New Delhi, called the deaths “tragic,” adding: “I think this drives home the need for us to be successful” in negotiating an end to Afghanistan’s decades of violence.

The U.S. goal in Afghanistan “is a reconciliation, to reduce the level of violence, to reduce the level of risk to Afghans broadly and the risk to American service members,” he said. “So, I think what you’ll see is a continued push by the United States to achieve the reconciliation, the reduction in risk that the president set out as the mission set for the State Department and for the United States government.”

In his brief visit to Kabul on Tuesday, Pompeo met President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and former president Hamid Karzai to discuss the need for a peaceful settlement to end nearly 18 years of warfare in Afghanistan involving the United States.

“Afghans yearn for peace and we share their desire to end the conflict,” he wrote on Twitter after the visit. “Peace would offer Afghans and the wider region a different future, one which we are ready to support.”

Pompeo said in Kabul that the U.S. government hopes to reach a peace deal before Sept. 1.

Taliban fighters continue waging war, targeting Afghan government and foreign forces across the country despite engaging in a wide range of negotiations with U.S. officials and Afghan power brokers.

But the Taliban has refused to meet directly with Ghani’s government, disparaging him as a “stooge” of the Americans.

The two deaths Wednesday bring this year’s total of U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan to 10, according to iCasualties, a website that tracks casualties of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In April, three U.S. service members and a contractor were killed in car-bomb attack outside Bagram airfield, the largest U.S. military base in the country. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.

More than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since American forces intervened in the country after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which were carried out by the al-Qaeda terrorist organization then based in Afghanistan under Taliban protection. Before U.S. airstrikes helped Afghan resistance forces drive the Taliban from Kabul in November 2001, the country had been beset by almost continuous warfare since the late 1970s, including a decade-long occupation by Soviet forces in the 1980s.
Two U.S. Troops are killed in an ambush by the Taliban in Wardak Province, Afghanistan.