WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Two U.S. soldiers were killed in Afghanistan Monday, Operation Resolute Support said in a statement.
The statement suggested that the two soldiers were killed in action. Their identities are being withheld until next of kin is notified, the statement said.
Multiple reports said the soldiers were killed in an insider attack, and the U.S. Central Command has declined to provide further details.
The attack brings to the total fatalities of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan this year to 14.
U.S. President Donald Trump grumbled about the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan that started in 2001, calling it "ridiculous."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that Trump had ordered him to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by the 2020 election.
"That's my directive from the President of the United States. He's been unambiguous: End the endless wars, draw down, reduce," Pompeo said during an event in Washington.
U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has been engaging with the Afghan Taliban negotiators for multiple rounds this year. He was cited by reports as saying that the Afghans are closer to reaching peace than any time in the past.
The reality, however, is that the violence in the country continues unabated.
On Thursday, Afghanistan's capital Kabul witnessed three bloody blasts that have left 11 dead and 45 injured. The multiple bombings happened amid the visit of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford to Afghanistan.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for one of the blasts, saying the militant group targeted the U.S.-led foreign forces stationed in Afghanistan.
The United States maintains some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, largely providing training missions to local Afghan forces while also conducting counterterrorism operations against terror groups.
