U.S. and Afghan forces clash in eastern Afghanistan, casualties confirmed

U.S. and Afghan forces came under direct fire on Saturday in Nangarhar province, an area where both ISIS and the Taliban have a presence, a U.S. military spokesman said. A government official in eastern Afghanistan told CBS News the Afghan and American troops clashed with each other in the Sherzad district of eastern Nangarhar province.

USFOR-A Spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett said in a statement that “combined U.S. and Afghan force conducting an operation in Nangarhar Province was engaged by direct fire on Feb. 8. We are assessing the situation and will provide further updates as they become available.”

A U.S. military official told The New York Times there were American and Afghan causalities. The number of causalities was unclear.

It’s estimated there are more than 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. In President Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday, he said the U.S. is “working to finally end America’s longest war and bring our troops back home.”

Mr. Trump said “peace talks are underway,” and he said it is not the “function” of the U.S. military “to serve other nations as  law enforcement agencies.”