Kabul, Afghanistan — An American service member was killed in action in Afghanistan Monday, the U.S. military said in a statement that didn’t provide any details.
The Taliban claimed a second U.S. troop and a third person were seriously injured and said it happened in Kunduz Province in northern Afghanistan.
CBS News’ Ahmad Mukhtar reports the Taliban said the troop was killed in a “tactical explosion” during a U.S.-Afghan joint raid.
The Reuters news agency reported that the Taliban also claimed there were clashes at the time between their forces and U.S. and Afghan government troops.
The U.S. military statement didn’t identify the troop or say where in Afghanistan the service member was killed. It stressed that in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, names of service members killed in action are withheld for 24 hours, until the notification of the family is completed.
Last month, two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan when their helicopter crashed in eastern Logar province. The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying they downed the helicopter, causing many fatalities. The U.S. military dismissed the Taliban claim as false.
Monday’s death brings the number of U.S. deaths in Afghanistan this year to 20. There have also been three non-combat deaths this year. More than 2,400 Americans have died in the nearly 18-year war.
