2 U.S. soldiers based in Georgia killed in Afghanistan

Two U.S. Army soldiers stationed in Georgia were killed in Afghanistan on Thursday during a ground assault against fighters from the Islamic State, military officials said Friday.

Sgt. Joshua P. Rodgers, 22, of Bloomington, Ill., and Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas, 23, of Kettering, Ohio, died in Nangarhar Province, according to multiple reports.

U.S. forces were accompanying Afghan troops on a raid when they came under fire, according to Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, the U.S. military spokesman in Kabul. Dozens of ISIS fighters also were killed.

The U.S. and Afghan troops flew in by helicopter, then advanced on foot, the spokesman said.

The soldiers were stationed at Fort Benning, which is near Columbus.

The raid was in the same region of Afghanistan where the U.S. dropped the so-called “mother of all bombs” on an ISIS complex two weeks ago.

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