Pentagon says Army general among those hurt in Afghan attack

U.S. soldiers are shown outside Afghan border in 2013. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Shane Hamann).

Oct. 22 (UPI) — A U.S. Army brigadier general was hurt in an attack in Afghanistan last week that killed two senior Afghan officials and delayed provincial elections there, officials said.

The Pentagon said Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Smiley was injured in the incident and is currently being treated.

“I can confirm that he is recovering from a gunshot wound he received during the attack in Kandahar,” U.S. military spokesman Navy Commander Grant Neeley said Sunday, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

An Afghan police and intelligence official were killed in the attack. The Taliban said U.S. Army Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, the top U.S. Army officer in Afghanistan, was a target of the assault but wasn’t hurt.

“We’re not going to talk about the wounded,” U.S. Army Col. David Butler, the top military spokesman in Afghanistan, told The Washington Post.

Smiley, who enlisted in the Army in 1983, was in Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom and served as chief of staff and deputy commanding officer for the 101st Airborne Division’s Tactical Command Post, according to his biography.

The Army promoted him to brigadier general in May 2017 and he served as the deputy commanding general in support for the 40th Infantry Division. He took over the command of Train, Advise, and Assist Commands (TAAC-S) in June.

Abdul Raziq, Kandahar’s controversial top police general, was killed with the province’s top intelligence officer, Abdul Momin. Kandahar governor Zalmai Wessa was also shot but survived.

Raziq was accused by the Taliban of extrajudicial killings, torture and other human rights abuses during the country’s fight against the organization — charges he denied.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here