The U.S. military says a soldier was killed in Afghanistan while conducting a mission against an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
A spokesman, U.S. Navy Captain Bill Salvin, wrote on Twitter on April 8 that the soldier was killed in an operation in Nangarhar Province against "ISIS-Khorasan," a provincial IS affiliate that operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Salvin told Reuters news agency the soldier was a member of the U.S. Special Forces. Further information was not immediately available.
The offshoot of the mostly Sunni militant group has been blamed for carrying out several attacks on minority Shi'ite Muslims.
The IS affiliate is mainly based in Nangarhar and neighboring Kunar Province, U.S. officials said.
U.S. officials have said they believe the group has only 700 fighters, although Afghan officials put the number at about 1,500.
U.S. Says Soldier Killed In Mission Against IS-Linked Group In Afghanistan
Smoke rises after an air strike by U.S. aircraft on positions during an ongoing an operation against Islamic State militants in Kot district of Nangarhar Province in February.