Two U.S. service members were killed Wednesday in Afghanistan.
The troop deaths were announced by NATO’s Resolute Support mission to the country in a press release Wednesday afternoon.
“In accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the names of the service members killed in action are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete,” the release reads.
These two deaths add to the 12 U.S. troops already killed in action so far this year, nine of which have been soldiers, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System.
Another 77 soldiers have been wounded this year.
The last two U.S. deaths were paratroopers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, who were killed in Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan Province, in a suspected insider attack in late July.
The deaths come as the United States continues to negotiate a political settlement with the Taliban that could see the withdrawal of a large portion of U.S. forces.
However, President Donald Trump stated Tuesday that he envisions a long-term U.S. presence in the form of intelligence gathering and counterterrorism to remain in the country.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
