US service member killed in Afghanistan

A U.S. service member was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday, according to a statement from the NATO-led Resolute Support mission. 

Eight U.S. service members have died in combat this year in Afghanistan, the statement notes. 

{mosads}The name of the service member will be released at a later time, Debra Richardson, a spokesperson for Resolute Support in Afghanistan, told Reuters.

More than 2,400 U.S. forces have died in the 17-year-old war, Reuters notes. The war is America’s longest conflict. 

U.S. service members in Afghanistan are primarily focused on supporting Afghan troops fighting the Taliban. 

The Taliban rejected a peace deal from the U.S. last week, which would set an April 2019 deadline to end the war. 

President Trump is reportedly considering trips overseas to visit troops in Afghanistan amid growing criticism for not yet doing so.

A spokesperson for the Pentagon declined to comment further on the service member’s death to The Hill.

— Updated 12:37 p.m.