Army identifies 2 Fort Bragg paratroopers killed in Afghanistan
UPDATE: The Fort Bragg paratroopers killed in Afghanistan were identified by the Pentagon as 20-year-old Pfc. Brandon Jay Kreischer of Stryker, Ohio, and 24-year-old Spc. Michael Isaiah Nance of Chicago, according to the 82nd Airborne Division.
Original story below
The U.S. Army is mourning the death of two soldiers killed Monday during combat in Afghanistan.
Both of the soldiers were paratroopers who were based out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the Army said in a news release.
“It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of the loss of two Paratroopers from the Brigade during combat operations,” Col. Art Sellers said in the news release.
The paratroopers were members of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, which is based at Fort Bragg.
Officials say the paratroopers were “gunned down” by an Afghan soldier, WNCN reported.
The soldier was wounded and taken into custody following the shooting in Kandahar, according to KARE.
Local police called the incident an “insider attack,” per the BBC.
The incident remains under investigation, according to a news release from the 82nd Airborne Division Tuesday night.
Nance joined the Army in January 2017, according to the 82nd Airborne Division.
Kreischer joined the Army in June 2018, according to the release. He is survived by his wife, who lives in Fayetteville.
“As we move forward together, I ask for your thoughts and prayers for the Families affected and for the Paratroopers of their unit who are still deployed,” Sellers said.
The soldiers are the second and third service members killed in Afghanistan since July 10, bringing the total of soldiers killed in action this year to 15, matching the total in 2018, Military.com reported.
There are currently about 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a reduction following the 2014 drawdown, per MilitaryTimes.
This story was originally published July 29, 2019 at 7:53 PM.
