“The Department of Defence announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel,” the release said. “Sgt. Cameron A. Meddock, 26, of Spearman, Texas, died Jan. 17, 2019, in Landstuhl, Germany, as a result of injuries sustained from small arms fire during combat operations on Jan. 13, 2019, in Jawand District, Badghis Province, Afghanistan.”
READ MORE: US Discusses Possibility of Keeping Bases in Afghanistan With Taliban — Report
The statement follows reports published earlier in January that the United States plans to withdraw around 7,000 out of its 14,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan, however, the direct-action Special Operations Forces (SOF) will remain in the country to continue strike missions against the Taliban militants and the Daesh* terror group.
There are currently around 14,000 US troops on top of around 16,000 servicemen from NATO and partner states deployed in Afghanistan. The forces are engaged in a training and support mission for the Afghan military there.
Afghanistan has long been suffering from an unstable political, social and security situation due to the activity of various terrorist and radical groups. The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, supported by a US-led coalition, are conducting joint offensive operations to combat terrorism across the country.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia
