US soldier killed in Afghanistan, confirms NATO

KABUL – A US service member was killed in action in Afghanistan on Saturday, NATO said, in a Taliban-claimed attack that comes as America tries to forge a peace deal with the insurgents.

The soldier is the 10th member of the US military to be killed this year - compared to 12 in all of 2018.

"The name of the service member killed in action is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete," Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

NATO did not provide any details about the incident for which the Taliban claimed responsibility.

They said they had blown up an "American tank" in the Sayed Abad district of Wardak province. The US does not use tanks in Afghanistan.

The insurgents, who frequently exaggerate claims, said two US "invaders" were killed and three wounded.

Two US troops were killed in the same area last month in another Taliban-claimed attack, while the US and Afghan forces continue to conduct daily operations against the insurgents.

The US now has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan – down from a peak of around 100,000 – most of them deployed to train and advise Afghan counterparts.

In the nearly 18 years since the US-led invasion to oust the Taliban in late 2001, some 2,300 American soldiers have died and more than 20,400 have been wounded.

President Donald Trump has said he wants America out of Afghanistan as soon as possible and his special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, is pushing for a peace deal that would see international forces withdraw in return for various guarantees.