By John Wesley Reid | January 13, 2020
Two U.S. Army soldiers were killed and two were injured when their convoy was struck by a roadside bomb, the Pentagon has confirmed.
Officials have identified the deceased as Staff Sergeant Ian P. McLaughlin, 29, and Private First Class Miguel A. Villalon, 21.
A spokesman for the Taliban confirmed responsibility for the southern Kandahar province attack.
Related: With Ceasefire Agreement, Trump Could Be on Verge of Major Victory [1]
This attack follows the deadliest year in Afghanistan for U.S. troops since 2014 with 23 casualties reported. Washington has been in sparse dialogue with Taliban leaders in attempts to negotiate a cease-fire agreement but no agreement has been finalized. While the Taliban did agree to a temporary cease-fire in December, they never said when the cease-fire would begin, and required approval by their leader Maulvi Hibatullah Akhundzada has yet to be confirmed.
Saturday’s attack in Kandahar province could indicate a disinterest in cease-fire negotiations from Taliban leaders.
This piece originally appeared in LifeZette [2] and is used by permission.
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