US soldier killed in Afghanistan bomb blast: Pentagon

The US military says one of its service members has been killed in a bomb blast in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar.

“The service member was killed conducting operations with Afghan forces when the patrol triggered an Improvised Explosive Device,” the Pentagon said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, the soldier, whose name and personal details are yet to be released, was killed in a “combat situation” while on foot patrol.

Cook said an investigation into the matter was under way, adding that he was not aware of any other casualties in the incident.

Afghanistan is still suffering from insecurity and violence years after the United States and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The military invasion removed the Taliban from power, but their militancy continues to this day.

Last October, US President Barack Obama announced plans to keep 9,800 US troops in Afghanistan through 2016 and 5,500 in 2017, reneging on his promise to end the war there and bring home most American forces from the Asian country before he leaves office at the end of 2016.

Over the past several months, Taliban militants have intensified their pressure with numerous offensives on other key Afghan provinces, including Kunduz and Takhar.

About 2,300 US troops have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001.