US servicemember is killed during engagement with enemy in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON – A U.S. servicemember was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan during an engagement with enemy forces, marking the second American killed in action there in 2019, military officials said.
The servicemember was killed by small-arms fire during an operation in Urozgan province, in central Afghanistan just north Kandahar, according to a defense official. The servicemember's death was announced in a brief statement released early Tuesday afternoon by Army Col. Dave Butler, the top American spokesman in Afghanistan.
The incident was under investigation, Butler said. Military officials declined to provide additional details about the incident, including which enemy was responsible for the servicemember's death or what the nature of the operation was.
The fallen servicemembers’ name was being withheld Tuesday for 24 hours to allow for the next-of-kin notification to be completed, according to Defense Department policy, Butler said in the statement.
https://www.stripes.com/us-servicemember-is-killed-during-engagement-with-enemy-in-afghanistan-1.565529#.XEfn9afLMzE.twitter