CNN — The Pentagon has identified two soldiers killed Friday in Kunduz Province in Afghanistan as a result of what it said were wounds sustained while engaged in combat.
The two soldiers were identified as Spc. Joseph Collette of Lancaster, Ohio, 29, and Sgt. 1st Class Will Lindsay, 33, of Cortez, Colorado.
Collette was assigned to the 242nd Ordnance Battalion, 71st Explosive Ordnance Group in Fort Carson, Colorado, and Lindsay was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Fort Carson.
Two US defense officials told CNN Friday that the two US service members were killed during a partnered US-Afghan military operation. The officials added that initial indications are that they were killed during a fight with the Taliban. Afghan troops were also killed in the incident.
This marks the third and fourth US military deaths in Afghanistan in 2019 and comes as the Trump administration has sought to negotiate with the Taliban to help bring the conflict to an end.
