A U.S. senator’s office and news media have identified the soldier killed during a “combat engagement" in eastern Afghanistan on New Year’s Day as Sergeant First Class Mihail Golin, a member of the Special Forces.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker on January 3 confirmed that the slain soldier was from his state of New Jersey, saying he was from the city of Fort Lee and that the “death is a loss that will be felt across” the state.
The Pentagon on January 2 said one U.S. soldier was killed and four others were wounded in a battle in Achin in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar.
The Pentagon did not immediately identify the soldiers involved but said two of the wounded were being treated at a nearby medical treatment facility and were in stable condition. The two others were returned to duty, it added.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own," said General John Nicholson, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. "At this very difficult time, our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of our fallen and wounded brothers."
Golin, 34, was assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group out of Fort Carson, Colorado, according to press reports.
Based on reporting by The Washington Post and The Fort Lee Patch