US service member killed in Afghanistan: NATO

KABUL: A US service member was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement, bringing the US combat death toll this year to eight.

The identity of the service member and details about the incident will be shared at a later stage, said Debra Richardson spokesperson for the Resolute Support in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon says there are about 14,000 US service members in Afghanistan. The US military’s mission is focused mainly on guiding and aiding Afghan forces battling the Taliban, which was ousted from power in 2001.

More than 2,400 US forces have died in the 17-year-old war, America’s longest conflict.

Read More: Top Afghan police chief killed in shooting, US general unhurt

In July this year, one US service member was killed and two others wounded in an apparent insider attack in southern Afghanistan.

In a statement, the Taliban had said a member of the Afghan security forces opened fire on US troops in the southern province of Uruzgan, killing four people and wounding several others.

Insider attacks, often known as “green on blue” attacks in which Afghan service members or attackers wearing Afghan uniforms fire on US or coalition troops, have been a regular feature of the conflict in Afghanistan, although their frequency has diminished in recent years.