KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. military says an American service member has died in a non-combat-related incident in Afghanistan, without offering further information.
The military’s statement says the incident happened on Thursday and is being investigated.
Pfc. Joshua Mikeasky, 19, from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was assigned to 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York.
About 14,000 U.S. military personnel are serving in Afghanistan, training and assisting Afghanistan’s beleaguered national forces, which come under near daily attacks by the Taliban who hold sway over nearly half the country.
The U.S.-led NATO mission handed off Afghanistan’s security to Afghan troops in December 2014, but they have struggled to quash the insurgency, which has grown to include an Islamic State affiliate.
Washington has spent nearly $1 trillion in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s ouster in 2001.