US Serviceman, Civilian Employee Killed in Kabul in 'Encounter With Enemy'

Two US citizens died of wounds they received in an encounter with enemy forces in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A US sergeant and a Department of Army civilian employee, who were supporting the US Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, died of wounds in the Afghan capital of Kabul after an encounter with "enemy forces," the Department of Defense announced.

“Sgt. Douglas J. Riney, 26, of Fairview, Illinois, and Michael G. Sauro, 40, of McAlester, Oklahoma, died Oct. 20 in Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds received from encountering hostile enemy forces,” the announcement stated on Thursday.

It also noted that Riney was assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Cavalery Regiment, while Sauro was attached to the Defense Ammunition Center.

Afghanistan is in a state of political and social turmoil, with government forces fighting the continuing Taliban insurgency. The instability has persisted in the country since the 2001 US-led invasion to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington.