American solider killed and two wounded during US Special Ops missions in Afghanistan

  • Forces are believed to have come under fire in Marjah, Helmand Province 
  • There are reports troops were involved in a counter-terrorist operation 
  • Several helicopters were sent to retrieve casualties was also fired upon
  • The Pentagon confirmed the deaths but wouldn't elaborate on details  
  • Special Ops have been deployed to aid their Afghan colleagues 
  • They have struggled to deal with a Taliban resurgence in recent months 

By Wills Robinson For Dailymail.com and Reuters

Published: | Updated:

A U.S. special operations solider has been killed and two have been wounded during an intense battle in southern Afghanistan.

The special operations troops came under heavy mortar and small-arms fire in Helmand Province, NBC News said on Tuesday, amid a resurgence of violence in the area.

The forces were reportedly involved in a counter-terrorism operation in the town of Marjah, in the center of the Taliban stronghold, when they came under attack.

The Taliban in recent weeks have focused their efforts on retaking parts of Helmand, and the U.S. has countered with U.S. special operations forces working with Afghan troops. 

Two wounded American soldiers and the body of a third have been evacuated from a battlefield in southern Afghanistan after hours of clashes, a U.S. military official said Wednesday 

A U.S special operations soldier is believed to have died and two others are said to have been wounded in two separate operations in Marjah, reports suggest

Several helicopters were reportedly sent in to retrieve the wounded, however one malfunctioned after it hit a wall.

'There is still a fight going on,' Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said hours after the casualties were sustained. 'We don't yet have all the details surrounding what has taken place.'

He said Defense Secretary Ash Carter was being briefed on the situation by commanders in Afghanistan, but many key details were unclear.

The Washington Post reported that pilots of another were told to avoid the area because of heavy gunfire. 

The U.S. military command in Kabul said in a statement confirmed one soldier died of wounds sustained 'during operations' in Marjah, and that two were wounded. 

The statement did not identify their service branch. Two U.S. officials said they were special operation troops.

'We are deeply saddened by this loss,' said Brig. Gen. Wilson A. Shoffner, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Speaking for Gen. John Campbell, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Shoffner said, 'our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of those involved.'

A U.S. helicopter was sent to evacuate the casualties but did not immediately take off because of an unspecified problem.

In Kabul, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Ron Flesvig, said the helicopter sent to evacuate the casualties had landed with a mechanical problem. 

According to The Washington Post, the U.S. deployed special operations troops to assist their beleaguered Afghan counterparts.

They have come under increased pressure from the Taliban who have looked to recapture towns in the area since the withdrawal of large numbers of Western forces.

Last month, six U.S. Airmen were killed when a suicide bomber detonated in the middle of a patrol, 

It was the largest loss of U.S. life in the country in 2015 and the first major deadly event since many soldiers pulled out. 

According to the website iCasualties.org, 22 Americans died in Afghanistan last year.

Marjah was the scene of the largest military offensive during the War on Terror. Operation Moshtarak (Dari for Together or Joint) was an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) pacification offensive. 

It involved 15,000 American, Afghan, Canadian, Estonian, Danish and British troops.

The operation, compared in scale to the Second Battle of Fallujah in 2004, aimed to remove the Taliban from the area and eliminate the last Taliban stronghold in central Helmand.

In the past, the town had been controlled by the Taliban and drug traffickers.  

In August, the Taliban seized back control in the Musa Qala district in the north of Helmand Province. They are trying to recapture towns in the area from Afghan forces 

In August, the Taliban seized back control in the Musa Qala district in the north of Helmand Province. They are trying to recapture towns in the area from Afghan forces 

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