Six US troops were killed when a suicide bomber attacked their vehicle near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on Dec. 21. Three additional NATO troops were killed, according to a Resolute Support statement. “We are deeply saddened by this loss,” Resolute Support spokesman Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner said in the statement. “Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families of those affected in this tragic incident, especially during this holiday season.” The incident is under investigation, and more information will be released “as appropriate.” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a statement that the incident is “a painful reminder of the dangers our troops face every day in Afghanistan.” Carter visited Afghanistan on Dec. 18, and saw that “our troops are working diligently alongside our Afghan partners to build a brighter future for the Afghan people. Their dedicated efforts will continue despite this tragic event.” The Associated Press reported the Taliban took credit for the attack, and that the group was targeted as it moved through a village near the base. The incident is the deadliest attack in the country since three US contractors were killed in Kabul in August.
When Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Dan Caine described the 150 aircraft used in Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, he referenced many by name, including the F-35 and F-22 fighters and B-1 bomber. Not specified, however, were “remotely piloted drones,” among them a secretive aircraft spotted and photographed returning to Puerto…
