U.S. Soldier Is Killed in Afghanistan, the 2nd This Week

WASHINGTON — A Special Operations soldier was killed Thursday in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktia province after a predawn raid, Defense Department officials said. It was the second death of a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan in a week.

An Afghan soldier also was killed in the raid, and several others were wounded.

A release from the U.S.-led military coalition in Kabul said the Special Operations soldier died from “wounds sustained during a combat operation.”

Afghanistan has seen an increase in violence nationwide after a brief three-day cease-fire between Taliban militants and the Afghan government last month. Saturday, in what the Pentagon called an apparent insider attack, an Afghan soldier fired at a group of U.S. forces, killing Army Cpl. Joseph Maciel and wounding two others.

In recent days, heavy fighting also has been reported in Afghanistan’s south and north.

The target of Thursday’s mission in Paktia province was not immediately clear. Afghan officials told Reuters that dozens of fighters were killed in Paktia’s Zurmat and Ahmad Aba districts, but there was little mention of U.S. troops.

The region is home to Taliban militants, and in past years Army Rangers have raided a number of al-Qaida training camps there. In neighboring Nangarhar province, U.S. Special Operation troops and Afghan commandos have battled pockets of fighters allied with the Islamic State since 2015.

Four Americans have died from hostile fire in Afghanistan this year.

Last year, the Pentagon announced a new strategy in the nearly 17-year war, increasing the U.S. troop presence in the country to roughly 14,000 while sending military trainers closer to the front lines.

Afghan forces have suffered far more casualties than their Western counterparts. The U.S.-led military coalition, which at the height of the war included roughly 100,000 international troops, largely has been relegated to training and providing frequent air support.