US soldier dies from wounds suffered in Afghanistan

A U.S. soldier died Thursday after being wounded in a combat operation in Afghanistan days earlier, the Pentagon said Friday.

Sgt. Cameron A. Meddock, 26, of Spearman, Texas, died in Landstuhl, Germany, according to a Pentagon news release. He was supporting the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan known as Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, the Pentagon said.

{mosads}He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and died “as a result of injuries sustained from small arms fire during combat operations on Jan. 13 in Jawand District, Badghis Province, Afghanistan,” the release said.

His death was the first U.S. death in Afghanistan in 2019.

“Sergeant Cameron Meddock is one of America’s precious Sons,” Col. Brandon Tegtmeier, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, said in a statement. “The entire Nation should strive to emulate the Warrior, Patriot and Husband that Cameron was. The 75th Ranger Regiment will forever honor Sergeant Cameron Meddock and his family will forever be a member of our Ranger family.”

The United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan on a dual mission of training, advising and assisting Afghan forces in their fight against the Taliban and conducting counterterrorism missions against groups such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Several media reports have said President Trump is looking to slash the number of troops deployed in the war, which is in its 18th year.