WASHINGTON (WNCN/AP) - Two of three service members killed by an IED in Afghanistan on Tuesday were stationed at Fort Bragg, the Department of Defense confirmed.
Army Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross, 29, of Lexington, Virginia, Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Michael Emond, 39, of Brush Prairie, Washington, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin, 25, of Hookstown, Pennsylvania were killed in Andar, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.
They were in a vehicle when it was struck by an improvised explosive device.
The soldiers were assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Elchin was assigned to the 26th Special Tactics Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.
"Dylan had an unusual drive to succeed and contribute to the team. He displayed maturity and stoicism beyond his years, and was always level-headed, no matter the situation,” said Lt. Col. Gregory Walsh, commander of the 26th Special Tactics Squadron.
The Taliban claimed the attack, saying a U.S. tank was destroyed.
It appeared to be the deadliest attack on American forces since June 2017, when an Afghan army soldier shot and killed three U.S. soldiers in an insider attack in the Achin district of the eastern Nangarhar province. The Taliban claimed that attack.
The incident remains under investigation.
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