WASHINGTON (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Department of Defense identified two soldiers and one airman who died while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan.
The service members died Nov. 27, 2018, from injuries sustained when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Andar, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.
The soldiers were assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The airman was assigned to the 26th Special Tactics Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.
The incident is under investigation.
The deceased are:
Army Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross, 29, of Lexington, Virginia.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Michael Emond, 39, of Brush Prairie, Washington.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin, 25, of Hookstown, Pennsylvania.
(Photo of Staff Sgt. Elchin not available at this time)
Three other service members and a U.S. civilian contractor were wounded in the blast, according to a statement from the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.
The deaths are the latest in a growing toll on U.S. forces in Afghanistan following the death of an army Ranger following an operation against al Qaeda militants in Nimruz province on Saturday. Resolute Support said the soldier had been accidentally shot by a member of Afghan partner forces.
There was no word on the circumstances of the blast but Ghazni has been one of the most heavily fought over areas of Afghanistan this year.
The city was overrun by a large Taliban force earlier this year before being driven off by Afghan and U.S. forces after days of heavy fighting.
*Reuters contributed to this report.