Afghanistan Attack

Two U.S. Soldiers Killed After Afghan Man Opens Fire

The+two+U.S.+soldiers+that+were+killed+in+the+attack+%28courtesy+of+ABC+News%29.

The two U.S. soldiers that were killed in the attack (courtesy of ABC News).

Taylor Shively, Assistant-Editior-In-Chief

During the night of Saturday, February 8, an Afghan man opened fire on a group of United States soldiers in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. The attacker was wearing an Afghanistan uniform, leading officials to believe he was an Afghan soldier.

According to AP News, an Afghan defense ministry official said that the attacker had argued with U.S. soldiers before opening fire. Two U.S. soldiers were killed and 6 more were wounded. Along with the U.S. soldiers, one Afghan soldier was killed and three more were injured.

According to TIME, the two killed were later identified as 28-year-old sergeant Javier Jaguar Gutierrez and 28-year-old sergeant Antonio Rey Rodriguez. Gutierrez was from San Antonio, Texas and Rodriguez was from La Cruces, New Mexico.

According to CNN, Group Commander of the 7th Special Forces John W. Sannes spoke out about one of the victims, saying in a statement on Sunday, February 9, that Gutierrez, “was a warrior that exemplified selfless service and a commitment to the mission, both values that we embody.” He also stated, “our priority now is to take care of his family and teammates, we will provide the best possible care possible during these trying times.”

In the year 2019, 22 U.S service members were killed in Afghanistan. However, so far in 2020, 6 U.S. service members have already been killed. The Afghan war has raged on for 18 years and still continues on today. In those 18 years, around 2,300 U.S. troops have been killed (NBC News).

It has been said that the United States is considering reducing the number of troops from around 13,000 to 8,600, but no presidential decision has been made (ABC News).