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Soldiers transfer the remains of Army Sgt. Joshua Rodgers, 22, of Bloomington, Ill., at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Rodgers and Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas, 23, of Kettering, Ohio, were killed during a raid in Afghanistan. Cliff Owen/AP hide caption

Soldiers transfer the remains of Army Sgt. Joshua Rodgers, 22, of Bloomington, Ill., at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Rodgers and Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas, 23, of Kettering, Ohio, were killed during a raid in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department says it is looking into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two U.S. service members killed in a raid on ISIS leaders in eastern Afghanistan this week.

According to a statement released by the headquarters of United States ForcesAfghanistan, "USFOR-A is investigating the possibility that the two Rangers were accidentally killed by friendly fire during the more than three-hour fight. We have informed both of their families of this possibility and we have appointed a team to investigate the Soldiers' deaths."

Preliminary details of the raid against ISIS-Khorasan were reported in the Two-Way yesterday.

The statement added, "We investigate all combat deaths of U.S. service members, and because we believe that there is a possibility of friendly fire in this case, it is appropriate to notify the families. Once the investigation is complete, USFOR-A will provide the results to our chain of command."

The slain soldiers were identified in a subsequent statement issued by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

"The families and fellow Rangers of Sgt. Joshua "Josh" Rodgers and Sgt. Cameron Thomas have my respect and sympathies. Fighting alongside their Afghan partners, Josh and Cameron proved themselves willing to go into danger and impose a brutal cost on enemies in their path. They carried out their operation against ISIS-K in Afghanistan before making the ultimate sacrifice to defend our nation and our freedoms. Our nation owes them an irredeemable debt, and we give our deepest condolences to their families."

The Mattis statement makes no mention of the friendly fire investigation.

The raid targeted an ISIS-K leader named Emir, Abdul Hasib. The USFOR-A statement said two Army Ranger platoons and an equivalent number of Afghan Special Security Forces were dropped by helicopter into the Mohamand Valley in Nangahar Province. They killed several high-level ISIS-K leaders and more than 35 fighters. But the statement says the death of Emir has not yet been confirmed.

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The Pentagon Investigates Possible Friendly Fire Deaths In Afghanistan - NPR

JONO GALUSZKA

Last updated15:53, May 1 2017

ROBERT KITCHIN/FAIRFAX NZ

Investigative journalist and author Nicky Hager will speak about his book 'Hit and Run' in Palmerston North on Wednesday.

Investigative journalist Nicky Hager says he is still hearing from people in the military, months after publishing a book alleging SAS involvement in the death of Afghanistan civilians.

Hager is heading to Palmerston North on Wednesday to give two public talks about Hit and Run, a book he co-authored with Jon Stephenson.

The book details a raidthe SAS was involved in in Afghanistan in 2010, where it is alleged civilians were killed.The Defence Force has denied killing civilians.

MONIQUE FORD/FAIRFAX NZ

Journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson at the book launch for Hit and Run.

Hagersaid the focus of his talks would be on how the incident highlighted problems with how the military operated.

READ MORE: *What we know, and don't know, about the SAS raid allegations from Hit and Run * No basis for probe into Hager book allegations, says English * Afghan villagers engage NZ lawyers over 'Hit and Run' SAS raid * Hit and Run authors concede they got the location for a raid wrong in their book * Defence Force chief slams 'major inaccuracies' in SAS Afghanistan allegations * Can we trust claims by Hager and Stephenson about SAS raid?

"Jon [Stephenson] and I are still hearing from people in middle and lower [ranks] of the Defence Force who are glad we did the book and are giving more information."

The pair called for an inquiry into the incident, but Prime Minister Bill English has said there was no basis for one.

The Defence Force was also critical of the book.

Hager said he was not disappointed with how things had gone, as he expected the road to an inquiry would be long and hard.

"Jon [Stephenson] and I are obliged and morally committed to those people [in Afghanistan] to stay with this so it can get sorted out in the end."

But he wanted to reassure people he was not attacking the "military family", saying the book would never have happened if people inside the military had not told him what went on.

He was especially keen to get that point across in Palmerston North as it was a "military town", he said.

Hit andRun is the first book Hager has co-authored an experience he said was tough at times.

"Both of us would probably find it much easier working on our own."

But it had made sense to collaborate, with Hager doing work in New Zealand while Stephenson worked in Afghanistan, a place where Hager said he "wouldn't last five minutes".

Hager will speak at Massey University's Social Sciences Lecture Block room 6 on Wednesday at noon, and at the Palmerston North City Library at 7pm.

-Stuff

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Nicky Hager not giving up on inquiry into SAS actions in Afghanistan - Stuff.co.nz

At 15 years and counting, the war in Afghanistan is by far America's longest war and among its most costly. We're draining our resources, sustaining military casualties and spending huge amounts of money as the conflict grinds to a stalemate.

No U.S. official seems to want to talk about our policy in Afghanistan and where we are going. The media has largely forgotten it. Basic questions about our national interests in that country, our objectives and how we are going to meet those objectives are largely ignored.

As our policy drifts, the situation in Afghanistan is dire.

The Afghan government is divided, ineffective in fighting corruption and in unifying and governing the country. Among many Afghans, we are not welcomed in their country. In denouncing the American military's recent use of a giant American bomb on an Afghanistan cave cluster occupied by ISIS militants, former president Hamid Karzai vowed to try to oust the U.S. from the country.

Much of the economy is illicit, driven by drugs and criminality.

As the war intensifies, the military situation is bleak. The Taliban are resurgent. They may not represent anything close to a majority of Afghans, but they have strong support in parts of the country and are not going away.

The Afghan military commanders have not been truthful about the readiness of their troops. They have been almost entirely on the defensive while the Taliban gain more territory. There are record casualties, including more than 100 deaths in a deadly attack this month that lead to the resignation of the defense minister and the Army chief of staff.

Our ally Pakistan is supporting elements of the Taliban. Iran and Russia remain active in the region. Russia sought unsuccessfully to gather representatives from China, Iran, Pakistan and India (but not the United States) to participate in peace talks.

There is talk of starting a peace process in which all the major players try to negotiate the end of the conflict. But the talk is vague, and nothing significant seems to be happening on the diplomatic front.

Under these difficult circumstances, Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of U.S. Forces, has called for a surge of several thousand additional American troops.

One can understand why more troops, and more economic and political aid, would be sought. But from my point of view, we should know the answers to the basic questions about Afghanistan before we send more troops into harm's way and expend many more dollars.

We have about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, down considerably from previous levels, but still a significant number. We have spent scores of billions of dollars, much of it to equip and train the Afghan National Defense and Security forces. But those forces have deep internal divisions and have been ineffective.

Under U.S. law, aid is subject to Afghanistan making progress in preventing corruption, fighting drug trafficking and improving human rights and women's rights. But the certifications are routinely approved every year, and the funds are made available, even though progress is by no means apparent.

We need to reassess where we are in Afghanistan. We need to demand answers to a series of questions. What are our interests in Afghanistan? What are our objectives? What is our strategy for meeting those objectives? In short: What is the end game? How long are we prepared to stay there? And for what purpose?

If we decide to stay in Afghanistan, we have a full plate. We need to find ways to fix the frictions that are rampant within the Afghan government. And the Afghan government must demonstrate a sense of urgency and support for reform.

The Pakistanis have to decide whose side they're on. We have to stop sending money and equipment to the Afghan forces that end up in the hands of our adversaries because of corrupt Afghan leadership. We must insist the government deal with corruption, act with basic competence and govern the country effectively.

Without doubt, President Donald Trump inherited a tough, messy situation in Afghanistan. But he has said little about the situation and has done nothing to clarify objectives and policies. We should not expect miracles or quick solutions, but we should demand clear objectives and goals. The lack of clarity in U.S. policy and strategy is not fair to our military forces, not fair to the American people and ultimately not fair to the people of Afghanistan.

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After Years Of War, U.S. Policy In Afghanistan Is A Mystery - Huffington Post

NATO is considering sending additional military personnel to Afghanistan and increasing the timeframe of the deployment in the view of the challenging security situation, the alliances secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, told the German Die Welt daily.

The additional troops are expected to join the NATO Resolute Support mission which it says is aimed at training, assisting and advising Afghan security forces in their fight against violent insurgents and various extremist groups.

The training mission, after the majority of combat troops were withdrawn, currently involves 13,000 servicemen, with around 8,400 of them being from the US.

The decision concerning further troops deployment is to be taken by June, Stoltenberg told Die Welt.

The military alliance is also expected to approve a new prolonged deployment procedure, he said. Instead of extending the mission every year, NATO would prolong it for a longer term to be able to develop long-term strategies.

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NATO would like to take more initiative and responsibility in the fight against global terrorism, Stoltenberg said, noting however, that operations aimed at training local troops and security forces are the best way to fight terrorism.

We already do it to some extent, for example, in Afghanistan and Iraq but we have a potential to do even more, he said. In such a way, we make them capable of stabilizing their land on their own. It is better than sending NATO troops that have then to defend those countries.

NATOs new strategy announcement comes as the situation in Afghanistan becomes increasingly tense.

US-led forces invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban from power more than 15 years ago, following the attacks of September 11, 2001. However, the extremist group, which advocates hardcore Islamist rule, is still active and continues to attack Afghan military targets and carry out terrorist attacks.

US Army General John Nicholson recently described the situation in Afghanistan as a stalemate as he briefed the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

Lately, the US has concentrated on fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists in eastern Afghanistan while also supporting Afghan National Security Forces against the Taliban.

In an unprecedented show of force on April 13, the US dropped an 11-ton mother of all bombs in the eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, killing 94 IS terrorists, according to the latest estimates.

Meanwhile last week, some 140 Afghan soldiers were killed and dozens injured in a Taliban attack on a military base in northern Afghanistan, according to Afghan officials. Taliban fighters also overran the Sangin district of Helmand province in late March.

On Saturday, it was reported that the US Marines returned to Afghanistans southernmost Helmand province amid the deteriorating security situation in the area. The arrival of the Marines comes a day after the Taliban announced this years spring offensive, pledging to keep the pressure on Afghans security forces.

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NATO may boost its presence & prolong 'training' mission in Afghanistan Stoltenberg - RT

The San Luis Obispo Tribune

Report: Iran becomes self-sufficient in gasoline production The San Luis Obispo Tribune Iran has become self-sufficient in producing the amount of gasoline the country requires on a daily basis, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated a new refinery that produces some 12 million liters (3.17 ... and more »

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Report: Iran becomes self-sufficient in gasoline production - The San Luis Obispo Tribune