U.S. soldiers attend a training session for the Afghan Army in Herat, Afghanistan, Feb. 2 2019. (Jalil Rezayee/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

By Amie Ferris-Rotman and
Sayed Salahuddin
KABUL — Two U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan on Friday while carrying out an operation, the U.S.-led NATO coalition said. 
No details were provided, and their names will not be disclosed until 24 hours after their next of kin are notified, according to Department of Defense policy. But their deaths come as the United States plans to withdraw its 14,000-troop advisory mission in Afghanistan.
President Trump recently tied the withdrawal to progress toward a peaceful settlement aimed at ending the 18-year war. 
Despite the talks, Afghanistan is suffering from crippling violence, with a record number of civilian casualties last year. On Thursday, a string of bombs exploded in Kabul as Afghans celebrated the Persian New Year, Nowruz, killing six and wounding 23 more. The Islamic State claimed responsibility Friday for the bombings near a Shiite shrine and cemetery, saying the aim of the attack “was to spoil the ritual of the polytheists.”. . . .

Copyright 2019 Martin P. All World Rights Expressly Reserved (no claim to The Washington Post content)