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A Wright-Patterson airman who rushed to a bomb explosion site to treat critically injured service members was honored by top Air Force leaders in a Portraits of Courage ceremony Friday at the Pentagon.

Sr. Airman Joshua OSullivan was deployed to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan for less than a month when a Nov. 12 explosion near his barracks seriously injured fellow service members, according to Wright-Patterson.

OSullivan, a respiratory therapist with the 88th Medical Group, was the first medic at the explosion site, helping save the lives of 12 U.S. military personnel and an allied coalition member, according to the Air Force.

He received the Air Force Commendation medal for his actions.

OSullivan, 27, an Elizabeth, Illinois, native, was a former emergency medical technician before he joined the Air Force six years ago, according to Wright-Patterson.

He was among 22 Air Force individuals and units to receive recognition Friday at the Pentagon ceremony.

Cox Media Group Ohio staff writer Amy Rollins contributed to this story.

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Wright-Patt airman recognized at Pentagon for actions in Afghanistan - Dayton Daily News

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A suicide bomber struck a NATO convoy near the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Wednesday killing two U.S. service members, the Pentagon said.

The Taliban promptly took responsibility for the attack, and a spokesman for the insurgents said the bombing allegedly killed 15 soldiers - a claim that appeared exaggerated as many similar Taliban claims have been in the past.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said two U.S. service members were killed in action in the attack and that more information would be provided when it became available.

In their claim of responsibility, the Taliban also said the attack destroyed two armored tanks. The insurgents' spokesman for southern Afghanistan, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, said fighter Asadullah Kandahari was the "hero" who carried out the attack with a small pick-up truck, packed with explosives.

U.S. troops assess the damage to an armored NATO vehicle after a Taliban suicide attack in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Aug. 2, 2017.

Reuters/Ahmad Nadeem

Kandahar province was the Taliban spiritual heartland and the headquarters of their leadership during the five-year rule of the Taliban, which ended with the U.S. invasion in 2001.

Eyewitness Ghulam Ali, who runs a mechanics shop near the attack site on the outskirts of the city of Kandahar, said the intensity of the blast knocked him out.

When he came to, he saw a military vehicle on fire on the road. He stepped out of his shop but a sudden burst of gunfire drove him back inside, he said. Then, helicopters arrived and he saw soldiers being taken away from the scene but could not determine the extent of their injuries.

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Shah Agha Popal, who runs a vehicle parts shop also nearby, said he also saw soldiers being taken away by two helicopters.

"But I couldn't tell if they were wounded or if they were dead," he said.

The combined U.S. and NATO troop contingent currently in Afghanistan is about 13,500. The Trump administration is deciding whether to send about 4,000 or more U.S. soldiers to Afghanistan in an attempt to stem Taliban gains.

The attack came as Afghan authorities in western Herat province tightened security ahead of a mass funeral for the victims there of an attack the previous evening that killed 32, said provincial governor's spokesman Jilani Farhad.

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Another 66 worshippers were injured in the horrific suicide assault Tuesday evening. As worshippers began their evening prayers a suicide attacker sprayed bullets at the private guards protecting the mosque before entering inside and detonating his explosives.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, claimed responsibility for the mosque bombing saying it was carried out by two of its fighters. ISIS said in a statement that the two men, whom it identified as Amir Qassim and Tayeb al-Kharasani, also used automatic rifles in the Shiite mosque before they detonated themselves.

The statement claimed that the attack killed nearly 50 and wounded more than 80.

Witnesses said demonstrators brought 31 bodies near the provincial governor's residence in a large freezer truck. Protesters demanded the people behind the brutal assault be arrested.

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On Monday, after taking credit for an attack on the Iraq Embassy in the heart of the Afghan capital Kabul, the ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan warned it would strike Shiites. The Sunni militant group considers Shiite Muslims as apostates.

Also on Wednesday the Taliban ambushed and killed Jaghatu District Gov. Manzur Hussain and a passenger in his car, Ghazni provincial police chief Mohammad Mustafa Mayar said.

The Taliban have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks hitting district headquarters, government officials and Afghan National Security Forces with increasing frequency.

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Afghanistan suicide attack kills 2 U.S. service members ...

President Trump's national security adviser H.R. McMaster onSaturday defended President Trump's strategy on winning the war in Afghanistan.

The president has not announced a comprehensive strategy on Afghanistan yet, but according to McMaster he has madea number of decisions" on the military approach there.

"The presidents already made some important decisions onAfghanistan," McMaster said inan interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that airedSaturday.

McMaster said Trump does not necessarily want to telegraph his intentions. "Youve heard inpieces" the strategy, he said.

"And what were endeavoring to do is pull this all together in a regional strategy thatmakes sense," he continued. Trump has authorized the Pentagon to take the lead ona number of military decisions during his administration.

McMaster also added that the White House wants to see a "change in behavior" from interested groups in the region, particularly Pakistan. The top aide said that while Pakistan has taken "great losses" fighting the Taliban, they have done so "selectively."

"This is Pakistan in particular that we want to really see a change in and a reduction of their support for these groups," he said. "I mean, this is of course, you know, a very paradoxical situation, right, where Pakistan is taking great losses."

"They have fought very hard against these groups," McMaster argued, "but theyve done so really only selectively."

He said that Trump is making clear that the U.S. will no longer tolerate any support for the Taliban or related groups.

"The president has also made clear that he, that we need to see a change in behavior of those in the region, which includes those who are providing safe haven and support bases for the Taliban," McMaster added.

McMaster defended the campaignin Afghanistan, arguing they had seen "tremendous" success in the country.

"Theres a tremendously successful campaign going on with Afghan forces in the lead. Its an unreported campaign in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan," McMaster said.

"Were not gonna talk tactics anymore, right?" headded. "Everythingbefore was, you know, troop levels and very specific details announcing to theenemy years in advance exactly the number of troops youre gonna have, exactly what theyregonna do and what theyre not gonna do. And so the president has said, that 'That is not the wayto fight a war. It never has been.' This is an invention of recent years."

McMaster also said the president "absolutely" has confidencein the commander in charge of the U.S. war effort against the Taliban and ISIS in Afghanistan.

The general defended Trump's decisions in Afghanistan andthe commander in charge of the mission following reports that the president wantsto fire him.

According to reports this week of a situation room meeting in July, Trump believes Gen. John Nicholson - the commanderin charge of Afghanistan -is "losing" the war inthe country.

"Ive known him for many years," McMaster said of Nicholson. "I cant imagine a more capable commander on any mission."

He said the president "absolutely" has confidence inNicholson. McMaster also reportedly defended the generalin the situation room meeting.

McMaster himself has been the target of right-wing Trump supporters outraged at the general'sdecision to renewsecurity clearance for Susan Rice, former PresidentBarack ObamaBarack ObamaOvernight Tech: Senate panel approves FCC nominees | Dem group invests in progressive startups | Tech groups rip Trump immigration plan Russian PM: New sanctions amount to 'full-scale trade war' America's divisions: The greatest strategic vulnerability of our time MORE's national security adviser.

"General McMaster and Iare workingvery welltogether," Trump said in a statement Friday. "He is a good man and very pro-Israel. I am grateful for the work he continues to doserving our country."

McMaster in the interview with Hewitt alsoargued that Trump's loosening of restrictions on the military was beginning to see a "payoff."

"The president has said that, he does not want to place restrictions on the military that undermine our ability to win battles in combat," McMaster added. "He has lifted those restrictions, and youre beginning to see the payoff of that as well."

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McMaster: Trump has made 'a number of decisions' on Afghanistan - The Hill

KABUL (Reuters) - Romanian soldiers from the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan killed an Afghan policeman who was trying to carry out an insider attack after a training session in the southern province of Kandahar on Saturday, officials said.

One Romanian was wounded in the attack while an Afghan policeman was wounded in the crossfire, a statement from Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul said.

"The advisers had completed a scheduled law enforcement training and were preparing to return to base when they were attacked by a member of the Afghan National Civil Order Police," the statement said.

Romanian soldiers providing security returned fire and killed the attacker, it said.

The attack, which came as the United States is considering increasing the number of troops it has in Afghanistan, was the latest in a series of so-called "green-on-blue" incidents that have complicated the training and assistance mission.

In June, three American soldiers were killed and seven wounded in two separate incidents, a week apart. In May last year, two members of the Romanian special forces were killed and a third was wounded when a local policeman opened fire on them.

Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Stephen Powell

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NATO soldiers suppress attempted insider attack in Afghanistan - Reuters

The Pentagon on Thursday identified the two U.S. soldiers killed Wednesday in southern Afghanistan when theirconvoy was hit by a vehicle packed with explosives. The two menwere paratroopers and on their first deployment. Four other soldiers were wounded in the attack.

Spc.Christopher M. Harris, 25, of Jackson Springs, N.C., and Sgt. Jonathon M. Hunter, 23, of Columbus, Ind., were assigned to the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, an Army release said. They died outside of Kandahar city and mark the eighth and ninth Americans killed by hostile fire in Afghanistan this year.

Chris and Jon lived and died as warriors, said Col. Toby Magsig, commander of the 82nd Airbornes 1st Brigade Combat Team in the release. The 82nd Airborne has troops spread across Afghanistan. The paratroopers are stationed at severalforward operating bases where U.S and NATO forces are located and are responsible for conducting security patrols in those areas.

[Two U.S. troops killed in attack on NATO convoy in Afghanistan]

Harris joined the Army in 2013 and Hunter in 2014, the release said.

Spc. Christopher Harris was an extraordinary young man and a phenomenal Paratrooper, Magsig added.Sgt. Jonathon Hunter was the leader we all want to work for strong, decisive, compassionate, and courageous. He was revered by his Paratroopers and respected throughout his unit.

On Thursday, another soldier was killed outside Kabul and six others were wounded. Their nationality was yet to be released but news reports indicated that thetroops were Americans. More than 2,000 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan since the United States invaded the country in 2001.

The flurry of attacks on Western troops comes as Washington struggles with formulatinga strategy for what has become Americas longest-running war. The Pentagon was set to send up to 4,000 additional troops to help prop up the struggling Afghan army, but President Trump has balked at investing more resourcesinto a war he said the United States was losing, according to an NBC News report. There are 8,500 U.S. and 5,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan.

[One soldier killed, several wounded in latest attack on NATO troops in Afghanistan]

Trump, according to the NBC report, also said he was considering firing the commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Army Gen. John Nicholson.

Although NATO forces have been attacked in recent days, the majority of Taliban offensives have targeted Afghan forces and civilians. The Afghan security forces have suffered more than 6,000 casualties since the beginning of the year and civilians are dying in record numbers, a recent United Nations report said.

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Pentagon identifies two US troops killed in Afghanistan - Washington Post