US Serviceman Killed in Gun Battle

The Associated Press
Friday, January 4, 2002; 1:15 PM

WASHINGTON –– A U.S. military member was killed by hostile fire in eastern Afghanistan Friday, a senior U.S. official said.

The military member, whose service branch was not immediately known, was the first member of the American military killed in action in Afghanistan since the U.S. campaign began Oct. 7. A CIA operative was killed in a prison uprising in November.

The U.S. fighter was killed in a gun battle in the vicinity of Khost, near the Pakistan border, the official said. The official discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.

An undetermined number of other U.S. troops were injured in the battle, the official said.

Other details were not immediately available.

Maj. Brad Lowell, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said he could not comment.

On Nov. 25, CIA operative Johnny "Mike" Spann was killed during a prison uprising in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

The only other U.S. military members killed inside Afghanistan were three U.S. special operations troops mistakenly hit by a U.S. airstrike near Kandahar on Dec. 5.

© 2002 The Associated Press