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BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Sept. 27, 2005 – A U.S. soldier and a U.S. Marine were killed Sept. 26 in separate attacks near Kandahar and Asadabad, Afghanistan, military officials reported today.
The soldier was taking part in a combined assault with U.S. and Afghan troops west of Kandahar when enemy forces fired rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire at their vehicles. One other U.S. soldier was wounded in the attack and taken to a hospital in Kandahar for treatment. He was listed in stable condition. The unit returned fire, killing two enemy fighters and wounding a third. The wounded enemy was taken here for treatment and was reported to be in stable condition. At a U.S. forward operating base near Asadabad, U.S. Marines reported receiving enemy mortar, rocket-propelled-grenade and small-arms fire. One U.S. Marine was killed in the attack. Coalition forces responded with mortar fire and close air support. The names and units of the individuals involved are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. "These men gave their lives for America and a free Afghanistan," Army Brig. Gen. James G. Champion, Combined Joint Task Force 76 deputy commanding general, said. "We will continue to aggressively take the fight to the enemy until they are defeated." (From a Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news release.)
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