Here’s a tragic reminder that Americans are still in the fight in Afghanistan
SUMMARY
The Pentagon released the name of a Special Forces soldier who was killed by an improvised bomb attack during a night raid with Afghan commandos in the restive Helmand province, a reminder that the fight continues 15 years after American troops first landed there.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Thompson, 28, of Irvine, California, was killed while accompanying Afghan special forces on a raid near Lashkar Gah. Thompson was a Green Beret with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces group based in Washington and died Aug. 23 alongside six of his Afghan comrades.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. — Staff Sgt. Matthew V. Thompson, 28, of Irvine, California, died Aug. 23, 2016, of wounds received from an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. (Photo: U.S. Army)
Another American servicemember was wounded in the attack and remains in stable condition at a hospital in Afghanistan, officials say.
"This tragic event in Helmand province reminds us that Afghanistan remains a dangerous place, and there is difficult work ahead even as Afghan forces continue to make progress in securing their own country," Pentagon chief Ash Carter said in a statement. "We will continue to work closely with the government of Afghanistan and our NATO partners to bolster the capabilities of the [Afghan national defense and security forces] so they can provide the people of Afghanistan the peace they deserve."
The deaths came on the eve of a brazen attack on the American University in the Afghan capital Kabul that killed 14 and wounded 35. No Americans are among the casualties so far.
The top spokesman for the NATO mission in Afghanistan said special operations troops, many of them Americans, are on missions nearly every night throughout the country advising Afghan commandos who are targeting Taliban holdouts in key areas. He said that about 10 percent of Afghan special forces missions include NATO troops, but they're not usually engaged in the fighting.
"This is something that we do nationwide [so] it's possible that we have some NATO [special operations force] element out in the field on any given night," said Army Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland during an Aug. 25 press conference. "Our role in that, of course, is that we don't participate, we don't go on the objective, but we provide the assistance they require."
Cleveland said about 80 percent of Afghan special operations missions are conducted solo, with another 10 percent incorporating NATO and U.S. help in the rear, including intelligence and surveillance support.
He added that the Taliban have been unable to hold any major city or town, and typically raid a checkpoint, steal equipment and are pushed out by Afghan forces some time later.
The operation in which Thompson was killed included an effort by Afghan special forces to interdict Taliban insurgents on the outskirts of the key Helmand town of Lashkar Gah. It was a "fairly large operation," Cleveland said.
"It was an effort to clear out Taliban strongholds so conventional forces could move in," he said.
Though violence has been on an upsurge as the summer fighting season crests, officials say the Taliban isn't able to mount an effective, large-scale assault to win coveted territory and sanctuary.
"The idea that they're this invincible force, moving ahead and claiming territory we don't believe is accurate," Cleveland said. "We don't think there's a massive, invincible offensive coming from the Taliban."
