Pentagon identifies US soldier killed in combat in Afghanistan

The Defense Department on Wednesday identified the U.S. soldier who was killed a day prior while fighting in Afghanistan.

Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Joshua Z. Beale, 32, of Carrollton, Va., died on Tuesday “as a result of injuries sustained from enemy small arms fire during combat operations in Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan,” according to a Pentagon news release.

Beale was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., and was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

This was Beale’s third tour to Afghanistan and fourth overseas tour overall after he joined the Army in 2011, ABC News reported.

He is the second U.S. service member to die in the country this year.

The United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, the majority of which train, advise and assist Afghan forces in their fight against the Taliban – now in its 18th year. U.S. Specials Operations Forces also conduct counterterrorism missions against groups such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).