Five US military members injured in Afghanistan
Five US special operations members were wounded while working with Afghan special forces in an operation to clear areas controlled by Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan, the top US military commander in Afghanistan said on July 28.
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Army General John Nicholson said two of the injured service members have returned to duty, while three others were evacuated but are "in good spirits" and are expected to make a full recovery, he said.
"None of these are life-threatening injuries," Nicholson said in a briefing with reporters on July 28. Their wounds were sustained from small arms fire and shrapnel, he added.
"We will continue to stay after Daesh until they are defeated here in Afghanistan," Nicholson said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
A Pentagon spokesman said one service member was injured on July 24, while the other four were injured on July 25.
President Barack Obama in January gave US commanders broader authority to target Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan.
Since that time, the territory controlled by the militant group has shrunk from about 10 districts in the southern part of Nangarhar province to parts of three or four districts, Nicholson said.
Also since that time, the number of Islamic State fighters has shrunk from 3,000 in January to 1,000 to 1,500 now, he said.
