Five US Special Operators Wounded Fighting ISIS in Afghanistan
Top U.S. general in Afghanistan says the five Americans were assisting Afghans.
— -- The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said five American special operators were wounded in just the last few days in counter-terrorism operations against ISIS.
Army Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of Resolute Support and United States Forces in Afghanistan, said the Americans were helping Afghan special operators “regain control” of areas recently held by ISIS in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan. During the clearing operation the Americans suffered small arms fire and shrapnel injuries.
Nicholson told reporters during a press briefing, “None of these are life-threatening injuries. Two of the service members have already been returned to duty with their units. The other three were evacuated out of theater. They're in good spirits. They've talked to their families. We expect a full recovery.”
Earlier this year, President Obama gave U.S. commanders more leeway to strike terrorist targets in support of Afghan troops.
Nicholson noted the Afghan partnered operations against ISIS are on a “positive trajectory” despite high profile attacks like the suicide bombing in Kabul on Saturday, which killed more than 80 people. The commander said those types of attacks don’t necessarily show a sign of ISIS gaining strength. He noted the terror group only controls areas in 3 or 4 districts, down from 10 across Afghanistan, and their number of fighters have been cut in half since the beginning of the year.