On Saturday at the US military was attacked in Kabul (Afghanistan). The explosion of a bomb planted on the road, killed 2 American soldiers and 2 were wounded, the statement said the Pentagon. Representatives of NATO and Afghanistan reaffirmed this statement.
Military officials identified the dead as two military engineers:
- 29-year-old Ian P. McLaughlin (Ian P. McLaughlin) of Newport news, Virginia;
- 21-year-old Miguel A. Villalon (Villalon Miguel A.) from Joliet, Illinois, high school graduate of East Aurora.
They served in the 307 th brigade engineer battalion, 3rd brigade combat team, 82nd airborne division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The All American Division mourns the loss of two @PantherBrigade Paratroopers. SSG McLaughlin and PFC Villalon, both combat engineers, were killed by an IED in Kandahar, Afghanistan yesterday. Both Paratroopers embodied the values of an All American and will not be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/1izfr9BwgJ
— All American Division (@82ndABNDiv) January 12, 2020
Responsibility for Saturday’s attack took on the Taliban. Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi said it happened in southern Kandahar province.
More than 2,400 American servicemen were killed in Afghanistan. Last year was the deadliest for U.S. troops — were killed 23 American servicemen, while Washington led peace talks. It seems that the latest attack could stop attempts to resume negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban.
2 US soldiers killed by another IED in Kandahar. Lets not forget we remain at war in Afghanistan. https://t.co/Umr9Baljxs
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) January 11, 2020
A peace envoy in the United States Zalmay Khalilzad insisted that the rebels announced the cease-fire, or at least stopped direct attacks. This would give the possibility to conclude an agreement between the US and Taliban on the withdrawal of all us troops and define a road map for direct negotiations between Afghanistan to determine the postwar future of this country.
In late December, the Taliban leadership decided to support a temporary cease-fire to be able to sign a peace agreement, but they have not decided on the exact date of the truce. Final approval required from their leader, Maulvi Heybatulla of Akhundzade, was not obtained.
As reported by CBS News Afghan official confirmed that the attack occurred in the area of DAND Kandahar province. The official was not authorized to speak with media and so requested anonymity.
The Taliban currently control about half of Afghanistan. Militants continue to carry out almost daily attacks on Afghan and American military, even during peace negotiations with the United States. Many local civilians were killed during that time in the crossfire or from roadside bombs planted by militants.
The American contingent in Afghanistan numbers about 13 000 troops. About 5,000 of them perform counter-terrorism mission. The rest are part of a wider NATO mission for training, advising and assisting Afghan security forces.
U.S. Ambassador John bass left the country last week, ending his two-year stay as chief representative of America in Afghanistan.
