Report: At least 2 US troops killed, several wounded in Afghanistan firefight - UPDATES

Howard Altman, Shawn Snow
Military Times
Sat, 08 Feb 2020 00:00 UTC

© U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jacob Krone

Mountainous terrain in southeastern Nangarhar

Numerous U.S troops were killed Saturday during a firefight in Afghanistan, according to the New York Times.

A military source, speaking to Military Times on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media, said at least two members of the 7th Special Forces Group — operating in eastern Afghanistan — were killed and several others wounded.

U.S. officials told Military Times they could not immediately confirm reports about casualties. However, an official did say that the U.S. and Afghan forces conducting an operation in Nangarhar Province were engaged by direct fire on Saturday, according Col. Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.

"We are assessing the situation and will provide further updates as they become available," he said in an emailed statement Saturday.

Officials declined to offer specifics, including reports about U.S. troop deaths.

The New York Times reporter said on social media that the incident may have involved a so-called "green on blue" attack, meaning the attackers may have been friendly forces or extremists posing as friendly forces.

One official told the Agence France-Press that the attack happened in the Shirzad district military headquarters and that foreign forces had cordoned off the area. "Several helicopters landed in and departed from the HQ compound taking out casualties. We don't know how many killed or wounded," the official told AFP.

For years Nangarhar Province has been a haven for the Islamic State group's faction in Afghanistan. The Taliban also operates in the area.

President Donald Trump reiterated Tuesday in the annual State of the Union speech his desire to bring troops home from Afghanistan and end the wars in the Middle East.

"In Afghanistan, the determination and valor of our warfighters has allowed us to make tremendous progress, and peace talks are underway," he said. "I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan, many of them innocent. It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency."

There are roughly 13,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has said the Pentagon may reduce the American footprint in the country to 8,600 with or without a deal with the Taliban.

Peace talks with the Taliban are ongoing, but definitions over reduced violence and a cease-fire continue to bog down the talks. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he wants "demonstrable evidence" that the Taliban can carry through on their promise to reduce violence in the country, according to the Associated Press.

Comment: UPDATE: RT, 8/2/2020: US, Afghan forces under 'direct fire'

"A combined US and Afghan force conducting an operation in Nangarhar Province was engaged by direct fire on February 8," Col. Sonny Leggett, spokesperson for US forces in Afghanistan, announced. "We are assessing the situation and will provide further updates as they become available."

There's also a possibility that it was an insider attack. Mubariz Khadem, a senior security official in Nangarhar, told Reuters that US and Afghan forces clashed. The so called "green-on-blue" attacks used to be frequent during 18 years of American presence in the country, but have not taken place recently.

UPDATE: RT, 9/2/2020: 2 US troops killed, 6 injured by 'individual in Afghan uniform'

At least two US service members were killed and six others injured after an individual in "Afghan uniform" armed with a machine gun opened fire on a joint patrol in Afghanistan, the US military has confirmed.

The incident took place in Nangarhar province earlier on Saturday as a combined US and Afghan force was returning from a "key-leader engagement."

The wounded service members are receiving medical treatment at a US facility, Colonel Sonny Leggett added, sharing no details of their condition."We are still collecting information and the cause or motive behind the attack is unknown at this time." No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Update 11 Feb 2020

The two soldiers the Pentagon admits were killed have been named:

On Sunday, the Pentagon identified the two Americans killed as Sgt. 1st Class Javier Jaguar Gutierrez, 28, of San Antonio, Texas, and Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Rey Rodriguez, 28, of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Both soldiers, who were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), were posthumously promoted after the attack.