U.S. military investigates deaths of Army Rangers

The U.S. military has launched an investigation into the deaths of two elite Army Rangers in Afghanistan early Thursday, saying they may have been killed by friendly fire during a three-hour battle with Islamic State militants.

Sgt. Joshua Rodgers, 22, and Sgt. Cameron Thomas, 23, died during a large nighttime raid in Nangahar province, the Pentagon said Friday. They were members of the Army’s 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, a Special Operations force that specializes in raids.

The U.S. military headquarters in Kabul said in a statement Friday that the operation began about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and included two platoons of Rangers and a similar number of Afghan commandos. They came under fire from “multiple directions and well-prepared fighting positions” within minutes of their helicopters landing, the statement said.

U.S. and Afghan forces nonetheless closed on their targets and killed several high-level leaders from the Islamic State’s affiliate in Afghanistan and up to 35 fighters, U.S. military officials said.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday that about 50 Rangers and 40 commandos were involved. He declined to say how many militants they faced, but he said U.S. jets, drones, ground-attack helicopters and an AC-130 gunship were used throughout the operation.

“We were expecting a tough fight,” he said.

The U.S. statement said airstrikes were launched to defend U.S. forces during the operation and to evacuate the fallen soldiers and a third Ranger who was wounded about 3 a.m. Thursday.