According to the US military officials, multiple US troops were killed and injured in an attack in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. The US and Afghan forces were "conducting an operation in Nangarhar province were engaged by direct fire" on Saturday, according to Col Sonny Leggett, spokesman for American forces in Afghanistan.
Attack on US troops in Afghanistan
According to military officials, several US troops have died and many have been injured, after coming under attack in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, NBC News reported. As per reports, the incident was a "green-on-blue" attack, which occurs when American troops are harmed by friendly forces or extremists posing as forces that are in partnerships with the US. Around 5-6 fatalities are reported on US side, same as that on the Afghan side.
It's not clear whether the fight was triggered by a Taliban infiltrator or if it was due to a dispute between US and Afghan forces. The number of fatalities hasn't been confirmed by US officials.
US in Afghanistan
USA's war in Afghanistan is its longest war overseas, spanning over 18 years. After the 9/11 New York terror attack, the US-led coalition forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001. The aim was to dismantle Al-Qaeda and topple the Taliban government, which is said to have provided support to the former, which orchestrated the 9/11 terror attack in which about 3,000 persons died.
Though the Taliban government fell in 2001 and Al Qaeda weakened considerably, the US hasn't been able to withdraw its troops out of Afghanistan. 12,000-13,000 troops still remain in the country. However, President Donald Trump has spoken on multiple occasions to withdraw all US troops from the central Asian nation.
In these 18 years, since the US invaded Afghanistan, 2,300 US troops have died. Casualties among Afghan civilians is several times higher, with 34,000 fatalities, since 2009, when the United Nations started systematic documentation.
