US special forces soldier killed in operation against IS in Afghanistan

US special forces soldier killed in operation against IS in Afghanistan

A member of the US special forces has been killed while taking part in an operation against Islamic State in Afghanistan.

The soldier was fatally injured in Nangarhar province in the east of the country.

The soldier was a special forces operator and was killed in the Achin district, said US Navy Captain Bill Salvin.

The circumstances of the death were unclear and Captain Salvin said more details could be released later.

It is thought that in Afghanistan, the Sunni jihadist group is mostly based in Nangarhar and neighbouring Kunar province.

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IS is suspected of carrying out several attacks on minority Shia targets.

US officials believe the group has 700 fighters in the country but their Afghan counterparts estimate the number could be about 1,500.

The Afghan Taliban, which is trying to overthrow the US-backed government in Kabul, is strongly opposed to IS and the two groups have clashed as they try to expand territory and influence.</s>A US soldier was killed while conducting operations against Islamic State in Afghanistan late on Saturday, a US military spokesman said in a message posted on Twitter.

"The soldier was mortally wounded late Saturday during an operation in Nangarhar Province" in eastern Afghanistan, said Navy Captain Bill Salvin in a message on the official Twitter account of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.

The soldier was a special forces operator and was killed in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, Capt Salvin told Reuters separately.

The circumstances of the death were unclear and Capt Salvin said more information could be released later.

Islamic State's offshoot in Afghanistan, known as the Sunni jihadist group's so-called Khorasan Province, is suspected of carrying out several attacks on minority Shi'ite Muslim targets.

US officials say intelligence suggests Islamic State is based overwhelmingly in Nangarhar and neighboring Kunar province.

Estimates of its strength in Afghanistan vary.

US officials have said they believe the movement has only 700 fighters but Afghan officials estimate it has about 1,500.

The Afghan Taliban, which is trying to overthrow the US-backed government in Kabul, is fiercely opposed to Islamic State and the two have clashed as they seek to expand territory and influence.</s>A U.S. military Special Forces soldier was killed while conducting an operation against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan.

In a tweet issued Saturday, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan said the soldier was mortally wounded during an operation in the Nangarhar Province.

The soldier's name hasn't been announced and no other information has been released.

The unnamed soldier was a special forces operator, U.S. Navy Captain Bill Salvin told Reuters separately.

The circumstances of the service member's death were unclear and Salvin said more information could be released later.

This was the first U.S. soldier casualty in Afghanistan in 2017 for the Resolute Support mission, NBC News reported.

Islamic State's offshoot in Afghanistan, known as the Sunni jihadist group's so-called Khorasan Province, is suspected of carrying out several attacks on minority Shi'ite Muslim targets.

U.S. officials say intelligence suggests Islamic State is based overwhelmingly in Nangarhar and neighboring Kunar province.

Estimates of its strength in Afghanistan vary. U.S. officials have said they believe the movement has only 700 fighters but Afghan officials estimate it has about 1,500.

The Afghan Taliban, which is trying to overthrow the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, is fiercely opposed to Islamic State and the two have clashed as they seek to expand territory and influence.</s>A US soldier has been killed while conducting operations against so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan.

"The soldier was mortally wounded late Saturday during an operation in Nangarhar Province" in eastern Afghanistan, US Navy Captain Bill Salvin said in a message on the official Twitter account of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.

The soldier was a Special Forces operator and was killed in the Achin district of Nangarhar province.</s>An American soldier was killed while conducting operations against Islamic State in Afghanistan late on Saturday, a US military spokesman said in a message posted on Twitter.

“The soldier was mortally wounded late Saturday during an operation in Nangarhar province” in eastern Afghanistan, US navy captain Bill Salvin said in a message on the official Twitter account of the Nato-led resolute support mission.

The soldier was a special forces operator and was killed in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, Salvin told Reuters separately.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says an American soldier has been killed while conducting an operation against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan.

In a tweet issued Saturday, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan says the soldier was mortally wounded during an operation in Nangarhar Province.

The soldier's name hasn't been announced and no other information has been released.</s>A US soldier was killed Saturday while conducting operations in Afghanistan against ISIS-Khorasan, the local branch of ISIS there. The soldier was mortally wounded late Saturday during an operation in Nangarhar Province, Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, a spokesman for the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan, told CNN.

A U.S. military official separately told CNN the fallen service member is a special operations soldier.

US troops regularly perform counterterrorism operations against the ISIS affiliate, which has a presence in Nangarhar. Those operations are sometimes carried out in conjunction with Afghan forces.

The US counterterrorism mission is separate from the NATO-led effort to train, advise and assist the Afghan army and police force.

There are about 8,400 US troops in Afghanistan. This is the first US combat death in Afghanistan in 2017. The number of US casualties in Afghanistan has fallen sharply since the end of US-led combat operations in 2014.</s>Kabul, Apr 9 (EFE).- A United States soldier has died from injuries sustained during a joint combat operation against terrorist group Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, official sources said Sunday.

“The soldier was a member of a US Special Forces team operating with Afghan Forces conducting counter-ISIS-Khorasan (the IS branch active in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan) operations in Nangarhar Province,” the US forces communications office said in a statement.

The deceased soldier was wounded while taking part in a combat operation in Achin district, believed to be the IS stronghold in the country.

In line with Washington’s policy, the office withheld the identity of the victim “pending next-of-kin notification”.

Meanwhile, provincial Afghan authorities confirmed in a statement they are preparing to launch an anti-terrorist operation across different parts of Achin, using ground attacks as well as airstrikes, the latter usually carried out by US troops.

The incident comes three days after the NATO mission in Afghanistan, Resolute Support, said the number of IS members in the country has halved in the last two years, and that the group has lost over 60 percent of territory originally under its control, thanks to military operations.

The IS has been operating in Afghanistan since at least 2015, and although authorities claimed its defeat in early 2016, clashes between Afghan troops and the militant group, as well as attacks by the latter, have continued in several parts of the country.

The most recent major IS attack in Afghanistan took place in March at a military hospital in Kabul, which killed 35, including the four attackers, and wounded 53 others.

Around 8,400 US troops are posted in Afghanistan, including 2,000 that form part of its anti-terrorist mission in the country.

The rest are part of the NATO mission for providing assistance and training to Afghan security forces.</s>AFGHANISTAN — An Army Special Forces soldier was killed while conducting counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan late Saturday, April 8th US forces in Afghanistan have announced in a release.

The soldier was mortally wounded while helping Afghan forces conduct operations against Khorasan, the local branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, a spokesman for the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan, told CNN.

The commander of US forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John W. Nicholson, offered “deepest condolences to the family and friends of our fallen comrade” on behalf of all US forces there. “We will always remember our fallen comrades and commit ourselves to deliver on their sacrifice.”

US troops regularly perform counterterrorism operations against the ISIS affiliate, which has a presence in Nangarhar Province, where the soldier was killed. Those operations are sometimes carried out in conjunction with Afghan forces.

The US counterterrorism mission is separate from the NATO-led effort to train, advise and assist the Afghan army and police force.

There are about 8,400 US troops in Afghanistan. This is the first US combat death in Afghanistan in 2017. The number of US casualties in Afghanistan has fallen sharply since the end of US-led combat operations in 2014.</s>The U.S. military says an American soldier has been killed while conducting an operation against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan.

In a tweet issued Saturday, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan says the soldier was mortally wounded during an operation in Nangarhar Province.

The soldier's name hasn't been announced and no other information has been released.

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A U.S. special forces service member is killed while taking part in an operation against ISIL militants in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar Province.