Fort Bragg, N.C. — Two Fort Bragg soldiers are among six military members who died Thursday and Friday in Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Saturday.

Capt. Jason E. Holbrook, 28, of Burnet, Texas, and Staff Sgt. Kyle R. Warren, 28, of Manchester, N.H., died Thursday in Tsagay, Afghanistan, from injuries they received when insurgents attacked their military vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Holbrook and Warren were on combat reconnaissance patrol when attacked.

Holbrook was a leader – Warren a medical sergeant – with the Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha team.

Both deployed in July and were on their second tours of duty.

Holbrook is survived by his wife, Heather Holbrook, of Fayetteville, and his parents, Joan and James Holbrook, of Burnet.

Warren is survived by his wife, Sandra Warren, of Hope Mills; his mother, Lynn Warren, of Bedford, N.H., and father, Del Warren, of Long Beach, Calif.

This week, officials reported 66 U.S. military deaths in the country in July – the highest death toll in a month since the war there started nine years ago.

That number includes more than a dozen from Fort Bragg.

U.S. commanders say American casualties are mounting because more troops are fighting.