iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — One U.S. service member was killed and another wounded in an apparent insider attack in eastern Afghanistan on Monday.
The service member who died in the attack Monday is the sixth American killed in Afghanistan this year.
The incident is the second insider attack in the country in 2018 after one in July that killed one service member and injured two.
“One U.S. service member was killed and another wounded during an apparent insider attack in eastern Afghanistan, Sept. 3,” said a statement issued by Resolute Support, the NATO-led military advisory-and-assist mission in Afghanistan.
“The sacrifice of our service member, who volunteered for a mission to Afghanistan to protect his country, is a tragic loss for all who knew and all who will now never know him,” said Resolute Support and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan Commanding Gen. Scott Miller, who assumed command of all NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan on Sunday. “Our duty now is to honor him, care for his family and continue our mission.”
The wounded service member is in stable condition, the statement said, adding that the names of the service members are being withheld pending notification of kin.
No other details were provided about the circumstances of the attack.
The U.S. currently has about 14,000 in Afghanistan advising and assisting the country’s military in its fight against the Taliban and ISIS.
Some of those forces are involved in a counterterrorism mission against remnants of al-Qaeda and the ISIS affiliate that operates mainly in eastern Afghanistan.
Insider attacks by Afghan military and security personnel against American and NATO troops have become rare in recent years following better security procedures and vetting of Afghan security forces.
On July 7, Cpl. Joseph Maciel and two other members of the team providing security for a new Security Force Assistance Brigade in Afghanistan were killed in an apparent insider attack at the airport in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.