By Chantal Da Silva
Chief Correspondent
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Two U.S. service members were killed during an operation in Afghanistan, U.S. and NATO forces confirmed. In a statement, NATO's Resolute Support Mission announced that the two service members had been killed on Friday.
The statement did not provide details on the combat location or on what led up to the deaths. It did not release the identities of the service members, saying their names would be withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin, in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy.
In a statement to The New York Times, Sergeant 1st Class Debra Richardson of the American-led NATO mission said that Friday's deaths were "under investigation," adding that she had "no additional information to provide."
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The two deaths brought the number of American combat deaths in Afghanistan to four this year.
The deaths came as talks between the U.S. and Taliban militants dragged on in a bid to reach a peace agreement. The 17-year conflict began as U.S. forces launched a campaign to overthrow the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks.
Both sides have agreed on the planned withdrawal of U.S. forces, but they're divided over a timeline for the withdrawal.
According to a recent report from the United Nations, more civilians were killed last year in Afghanistan than at any time since records have been kept, with 3,084 civilian deaths recorded in 2018 alone, including the deaths of 927 children.
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This is a developing story and it will be updated as more information becomes available.
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