Brian Harris/ Army)The death of a 19-year-old U.S. soldier in southern Afghanistan on Monday highlights the U.S. military’s evolving role in the war there under President Trump’s administration, after years of President Barack Obama restricting the use of conventional combat troops on the battlefield. Hansen Bradee Kirkpatrick, 19, was killed July 3 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province by indirect fire during a partner operation alongside Afghan troops. (U.S. Army)Kirkpatrick’s death is the fourth combat fatality this year of a conventional U.S. soldier in an operation outside a base. The Pentagon could add 3,000 to 5,000 U.S. troops to the 8,400 currently deployed and allow them to be closer to combat operations. The previous U.S. military fatalities in Afghanistan this year included three conventional U.S. soldiers — Sgt.

Source: Washington Post July 05, 2017 19:11 UTC