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Old 06-12-2017, 08:11 AM
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Arrow Pentagon IDs soldiers killed in apparent insider attack in Afghanistan

Pentagon IDs soldiers killed in apparent insider attack in Afghanistan
BY REBECCA KHEEL - 06/12/17 10:15 AM EDT
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/33...in-afghanistan


The Pentagon has identified the three U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan on Saturday.

Sgt. Eric M. Houck, 25, of Baltimore, Sgt. William M. Bays, 29, of Barstow, Calif. and Cpl. Dillon C. Baldridge, 22, of Youngsville, N.C. were killed Saturday by gunfire in Peka Valley in Nangarhar Province, the Pentagon said in a statement Monday.

The U.S. military has so far released scant details of the incident, but Afghan officials have told reporters the soldiers were killed in an apparent insider attack by an Afghan soldier.

A fourth U.S. soldier was wounded.

The attack happened as U.S. and Afghan forces were conducting a mission against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) Afghan branch, according to Afghan officials.

The Taliban said one its members infiltrated the unit with the intent to carry out the attack, but Afghan officials have cast doubt on that claim.

In its Monday statement, the Pentagon said the incident is under investigation.

The deaths, the fourth, fifth and sixth U.S. combat deaths in Afghanistan this year, come as President Trump weighs a Pentagon request to send thousands more troops to the country.

U.S. military officers have requested 3,000 to 5,000 more troops to break what they have described as a stalemate against the Taliban.

The United States currently has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan on a dual mission of training, advising and assisting Afghan troops in their fight against the Taliban and conducting counterterrorism missions against groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda.

All six U.S. deaths this year have come during missions against ISIS, which was also the target of a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb dropped by the U.S. in April.

In April, Staff Sgt. Mark R. De Alencar was killed during a firefight with enemy forces. Later that month, Sgt. Joshua P. Rodgers and Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas were killed in what’s suspected to have been a friendly fire incident.

(Personal note: I hate the verbiage "friendly fire inciden" - this should never have happened!)
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  #2  
Old 06-12-2017, 08:13 AM
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Three US soldiers killed in insider attack in Afghanistan identified
(Another report about the above).
RE: http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-...nistan-id.html

(WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. military has identified the three Army soldiers killed by an Afghan soldier in an insider attack for which the Taliban claimed responsibility.

Sgt. Eric M. Houck, 25, of Baltimore, Maryland; Sgt. William M. Bays, 29 of Barstow, California; and Cpl. Dillon C. Baldridge, 22 of Youngsville, North Carolina were all from the 101st Airborne Division headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

The three plus a fourth U.S. soldier who was wounded came under fire in Peka Valley, Nangarhar Province, on Saturday.

The Afghan soldier who conducted the attack was killed in return fire, according to Attaullah Khogyani, spokesperson for the governor of Nangarhar Province.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of our soldiers who were killed and wounded,” said Gen. John W. Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, in a statement Monday. "We will always remember our fallen comrades and remain committed to the mission they carried out and for which they ultimately gave their lives.”

Insider or so-called "green-on-blue" attacks have been an ongoing threat to U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, but the number has declined since 2012 due to new security procedures and better vetting of Afghan security forces.

The motivations for such attacks are sometimes unclear, with some resulting from personal conflicts while others may be due to the Taliban's infiltrating the Afghan military.

The Trump administration is currently reviewing the overall U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. The U.S. currently has 8,400 American troops in the country, but U.S. officials say the military has proposed sending an additional 2,000 to 4,000 troops. That number may ultimately depend on how many additional troops are committed by NATO partners.
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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Old 06-12-2017, 08:15 AM
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Afghanistan shooting: 3 US soldiers killed are identified (3rd report on the shootings)
Published June 12, 2017 Fox News
RE: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/06...dentified.html

The Pentagon on Monday released the names of the three U.S. soldiers killed in an attack by an Afghan army soldier over the weekend.

The U.S. soldiers were identified as:

- Sergeant Eric M. Houck, 25, of Baltimore, Maryland

- Sergeant William M. Bays, 29, of Barstow, North Carolina

- Corporal Dillon C. Baldridge, 22, of Youngsville, North Carolina

The soldiers were shot Saturday in Peka Valley, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. A fourth U.S. soldier was injured in the attack.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the act. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says in a statement that a militant loyalist had infiltrated the Afghan army "just to attack foreign forces."

The soldiers were assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Company D, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, KY.

The Pentagon is investigating the incident.
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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Old 06-12-2017, 08:18 AM
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Pentagon: 101st Airborne soldiers identified as troops killed in Afghanistan attack (4th report)
By COREY DICKSTEIN | STARS AND STRIPES
RE: https://www.stripes.com/news/pentago...1#.WT6wO1TyuM8

WASHINGTON — The three American soldiers killed by an Afghan soldier in an apparent insider attack Saturday in eastern Afghanistan belonged to the Fort Campbell, Kentucky-based 101st Airborne Division, the Pentagon announced Monday.

Sgt. Eric M. Houck, Sgt. William M. Bays and Cpl. Dillon C. Baldridge died of gunshot wounds in the Peka Valley in Nangarhar province, according to the Defense Department. Afghan officials said over the weekend that an Afghan commando opened fire on the soldiers in what has become known as a green-on-blue or insider attack.

Another U.S. soldier was wounded in the attack, the Pentagon said Saturday. The soldier’s condition was not immediately available Monday.

The Taliban said the attack was conducted by a member of its insurgency that infiltrated the Afghan forces. It claimed four Americans were killed in the attack.

The Pentagon said the incident is under investigation.

The soldiers killed in the attack belonged to 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment and 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, both of the 101st Airborne Division, according to the Pentagon.

Houck, 25, was from Baltimore in Maryland. Bays, 29, was from Barstow in California. Baldridge, 22, was from Youngsville in North Carolina.

Their unit deployed to Afghanistan last fall in support of the NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces, according to the Army.

Six American servicemembers have been killed in Afghanistan this year. All six were soldiers and died in Nangarhar where U.S. and Afghan troops have been battling Islamic State forces.

Staff Sgt. Mark R. De Alencar, 37, Sgt. Joshua P. Rodgers, 22, and Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas, 23, were all killed in April.

dickstein.corey@stripes.com
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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Old 06-12-2017, 08:20 AM
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3 US soldiers killed, 1 wounded in Afghan attack, official says (5th report)
RE: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/06...cial-says.html

Three U.S. soldiers were killed Saturday and one wounded when an Afghan army solider opened fire on them in an attack in eastern Afghanistan for which the Taliban claimed responsibility, officials said.

Military officials initially identified the victims as Army Rangers before clarifying Monday that they were soldiers.

Attahullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor in Nangarhar province, told Fox News the insider attack took place in the Achin district, where the U.S. military dropped the "Mother of All Bombs" earlier this year to wipe out an ISIS cave complex.

He said two American soldiers were killed and two wounded.

“The Afghan army soldier was killed in return fire,” he said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that a Taliban loyalist had infiltrated the Afghan army "just to attack foreign forces."

White House Deputy Communications Director Raj Shah said President Trump had been informed of the situation.

Such insider attacks have happened before in Afghanistan. In March, another Afghan soldier was killed after he opened fire on foreign forces at a base in Helmand province, wounding three U.S. soldiers.

Saturday’s attack comes as the White House is weighing a decision to send up to 5,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan. Roughly 8,400 American soldiers are in Afghanistan now with most of them helping to train the Afghan security forces fighting the Taliban.

Officials say that adding to the number of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan would free up more Special Operations forces to focus on killing more top Taliban, ISIS and Al Qaeda leaders.

Eastern Afghanistan is where U.S. Army Green Beret, Staff Sgt. Mark De Alencar and U.S. Army Rangers were killed in separate combat missions in April targeting ISIS extremists.

Following De Alencar’s death, the Air Force bombed the ISIS cave complex in Achin with the MOAB, or the “mother of all bombs.”

The decision to drop the largest conventional bomb in the Air Force's inventory was made by the top U.S. general in Afghanistan and not the president.

Since taking office, Trump has eased restrictions on the use of air power, according to senior defense officials.

As a result the U.S. military has stepped up airstrikes in Afghanistan. In April, there were more bombs dropped than in any one month in the past five years.
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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