American soldiers killed in Afghanistan

A roadside bomb on Saturday morning killed two U.S. service members in Afghanistan. They were the first American deaths in the country this year. Two other people sustained injuries during the mission when a vehicle hit the bomb in the southern Kandahar province, according to the Pentagon. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the explosion.

Who are the soldiers? The U.S. Department of Defense identified the victims as Staff Sgt. Ian Paul McLaughlin from Newport News, Va., and Pfc. Miguel Angel Villalon of Joilet, Ill. They belonged to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. Between 12,000 and 13,000 troops are stationed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO mission. In 2019, 23 service members died in the country, making it one of the deadliest for U.S. troops there in recent years.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift on the Taliban’s rejection of a cease-fire plan.