Taliban claim attack that killed US soldier in Afghanistan

The Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack that killed a US service member. (AFP)

• US statement did not identify the soldier or say where in Afghanistan the service member was killed
• Names of service member killed in action are being withheld for 24 hours,

KABUL: The Taliban on Monday claimed responsibility for an attack that killed a US service member, saying insurgents also wounded several American and Afghan troops.
In a WhatsApp message to AFP, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said insurgents “blew up an American vehicle in Char Dara district of Kunduz” late Sunday night.
A US military statement confirmed the attack, without providing further details.
The statement did not identify the US soldier or say where in Afghanistan the service member was killed. It stressed that in accordance with US Department of Defense policy, names of service member killed in action are being withheld for 24 hours, until the notification of the family is completed.
Last month, two US service members were killed in Afghanistan when their helicopter crashed in eastern Logar province. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that crash, saying they had downed the helicopter, causing many fatalities. The US military dismissed the Taliban claim as false.
Monday’s death brings the number of US deaths in Afghanistan this year to 20. There have also been three non-combat deaths this year. More than 2,400 Americans have died in the nearly 18-year war.