The Defense Department on Friday identified the two service members killed Nov. 3 in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Capt. Andrew Byers, 30, of Rolesville, N.C., and Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Gloyer, 34, of Greenville, Pa., died while engaging enemy forces, according to a DOD statement. Byers and Gloyer, who were assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colo., were assisting Afghan forces who were attempting to clear a Taliban position, when they came under fire. Four other US service members were wounded in the attack, said Defense Secretary Ash Carter in a statement released on Nov. 3.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.