A U.S. service member was killed in action Monday in Afghanistan, according to the NATO-led mission in the country.
The news release from Operation Resolute Support provided no details of the incident, noting only that they “were killed in action.”
The identity of the U.S. service member is being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin is notified, in accordance with Defense Department policy.
The death, the 17th American combat death in the country this year, comes as President Trump earlier this month announced the decision to cancel peace talks with the Taliban and the Afghan government. Trump said that talks were “dead” after an attack claimed by the Taliban that killed a U.S. soldier and 11 others. Trump had also revealed and later canceled plans for a summit with Taliban leaders to be held at Camp David, a proposal that brought criticism from lawmakers in both parties.
{mosads}The president has been looking to complete a peace deal in the 18-year war ahead of the 2020 election, and the administration has been touting a draft deal with the Taliban that would see nearly 5,000 troops withdraw from five bases in exchange for Taliban assurances that it will not allow terrorists to launch attacks against the United States from Afghanistan.
There are roughly 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan working in two missions: to train, advise and assist Afghan troops in their fight against the Taliban and to conduct counterterrorism operations against groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda.